His current slogan, according to Bishop Ebli De La Rosa, is to hope for the best and be ready for the worse.
De La Rosa, who is in charge of Church of God of Prophecy congregations in nine states in the Southeast, says he has had to act swiftly in response to the new directives from the Trump administration, which have eliminated regulations that limited immigration enforcement in places of worship and schools.
According to De La Rosa, this action has put in jeopardy 32 of the 70 pastors of the Latino evangelical denomination who work in some of the most vulnerable populations in the area and are here illegally. In the event that their leader is deported, the bishop has directed every congregation with pastors in danger to have three laypeople ready to take over. Additionally, he instructed them to webcast each service and to continue recording regardless of what occurs.
According to him, several of my pastors are holding services with their doors locked because they fear that immigration officials would suddenly barge in. The fact that there is nothing more I can do for them makes me feel awful and powerless.
Sunday, February 2, 2025, at the Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-sized Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida, Rev. Esteban Rodriguez leads his congregation in prayer.Youngblood, Alan/AP
As a member arrives for a worship service at the Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-size Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday, February 2, 2025, church usher Vanessa Almanzar, left, hugs her.Youngblood, Alan/AP
In Florida and parts of the Southeast, De La Rosa shares the views of numerous other religious leaders who speak for thousands of Latino evangelical Christians. They are concerned about the potential for immigration raids and arrests, as well as the integrity of their sacred areas.
The president’s executive order will enable officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to enforce immigration laws, according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security on January 20. It also stated that criminals will no longer be able to hide in American schools and churches in order to evade arrest.
Community members, including many who backed Donald Trump during the previous election cycle, now feel saddened and abandoned, according to Agustin Quiles, a spokesman for the Florida Fellowship of Hispanic Councils and Evangelical Institutions.
According to him, the message seems to be that anyone without documentation is a criminal. The majority of Latino evangelicals are conservative on issues like abortion and supported Republican. Since so many families both inside and outside of our churches are suffering as a result of these actions, we would like to request that the president take another look. They are in a lot of pain, and the church is also in pain.
According to Quiles, his group will advocate for the reinstatement of legislation protecting places of worship and other sensitive areas in Florida and Washington.
The unity of families and the numerous children who may be affected or left behind without their parents are our top priorities, he stated.
In Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday, February 2, 2025, Carlos Der Rosario worships at Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-sized Church of God of Prophecy congregation.Youngblood, Alan/AP
The head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, who counseled head Trump on immigration during his first term, claims that he has received numerous assurances from knowledgeable people that houses of worship need not be concerned.
No one is going to enter a church with or without guns blazing, therefore there should be no anxiety about churches, he said. That will never take place.
Rodriguez clarified, however, that if authorities believe a criminal is taking refuge in a church, they may conduct surveillance there. He said that those who are living with or near someone who is here illegally and has committed a crime could be deported, even if they had been in the country for decades.
The executive order infuriated the National Association of Evangelicals, which claims to serve millions of people and represent 40 denominations.
It stated on January 22 that the removal of guidelines shielding places of worship, educational institutions, and medical facilities from immigration enforcement is concerning and that some people have been discouraged from going to church as a result.
Pastors who are witnessing these directives’ effects on the ground concur.
During a church service on Sunday, February 2, 2025, in Kissimmee, Florida, the Rev. Esteban Rodriguez, the leader of Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, prays for the congregation.Youngblood, Alan/AP
At the conclusion of a church service on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at the Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-sized Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida, Fatima Guzman, on the right, gives Lucy Rodriquez a hug. (Alan Youngblood/AP Photo) Youngblood/AP in APAlan
Latino evangelical churches are like a large family made up of families, according to the Rev. Esteban Rodriguez, the leader of Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, a mid-sized Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Kissimmee, Florida. According to him, people in his community who are not legally present have even been scared to go to work, church, or food pantries in order to meet their fundamental necessities.
According to Rodriguez, he has been assisting a few members of the congregation with letters of recommendation for their immigration petitions and consulting with attorneys to determine how the church may provide proactive assistance.
According to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Latino field coordinator, the Rev. Ruben Ortiz, Latino churches have been building these hallowed places for decades at a high cost without the help of the government. Ortiz expressed his sadness after learning about an event at a church in the Atlanta region where someone was taken into custody during a service.
According to Ortiz, these regulations contradict the Bible’s unmistakable teaching that a church is a haven of sanctuary.
“Members are calling us and saying they don’t feel safe in our churches,” he said. In response, we will provide refuge. We will welcome everyone, irrespective of their immigration status. Our churches are places where everyone may and should find safety.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s president and general counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, stated that he does not anticipate immigration officials raiding churches in a way that infringes on people’s fundamental freedom to congregate and worship.
According to him, they may and have targeted a certain person who might be going to church. More of that is what I would anticipate.
There are compelling arguments to be made, but the law is unclear on whether churches can lawfully provide sanctuary to those who are here illegally as part of their faith, according to Saenz.
According to him, people should be aware that they are protected by their constitutional rights and that they have supporters both inside and outside the church who will voice their outrage if those rights are violated.
According to Lloyd Barba, an assistant professor of religion at Amherst College in Massachusetts who specializes in Latino immigration and religion, Latino evangelicals are in a unique position because they are influenced by the theology of right-leaning white evangelical churches, whose pastors and leaders are also the most vocal opponents of immigration.
In contrast to mainline denominations like the United Methodist Church or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Barba said the Latino evangelical community consists of numerous independent churches and various groups that do not have a single, central message on immigration.
According to him, the Catholic Church also has a strong social teaching and doctrine on immigration. In the absence of that, we often run into a little more hesitation or doubt over whether Latino pastors need to be participating in this form of sacred resistance.
The teaching on immigration is quite clear in the Bible, according to Bishop Abner Adorno of the Assemblies of God in the Florida Multicultural District. He cites Deuteronomy 10:19, which states: Since you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt, you too must embrace outsiders.
According to him, this verse outlines a Judeo-Christian basis for caring for immigrants and refugees. The role of the church must be one of compassion, while the government’s focus must be on enforcement.
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