“When the U.S. rounded up Japanese-Americans, the church remained largely silent. When the U.S. turned away Jews fleeing the Holocaust, the church remained largely silent. . . . We are at a crossroads. The persecuted church is among us, and our government is rounding them up. The church cannot remain silent.”
~ Matthew Soerens, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief
Chilling excerpts from World Relief’s January 13, 2026, press release:
“This weekend, federal immigration agents detained dozens of lawfully present refugees in Minnesota, including children. The agents, some dressed in plain clothes, lured refugees out of their homes where they were transported to holding facilities and then, in many cases, out of the state. Individuals who have followed every rule and submitted their Green Card applications, as allowed and required one year after resettlement, are now detained and fear being returned to situations of persecution.”
“‘This is a five-alarm fire. These are not the “worst of the worst;” these are innocent children and families who fled the worst wars and persecution imaginable, who were invited by the American people to become Americans under the terms of American law,’ commented Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, which in partnership with local affiliate Arrive Ministries resettled several families that were detained over the weekend. ‘This shameful and unpatriotic operation preys on our basest fears and manipulates the truth. Enough. ICE must be held accountable, and this operation must cease.’”
“The refugees detained in recent days, like all individuals admitted through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, were admitted under the lawful authority of the Refugee Act of 1980, a bill passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.”
“One year after arrival, refugees are allowed by law to obtain their Lawful Permanent Resident status, often known as “Green Cards.” Many, if not most, of those detained over the weekend had already submitted their applications for Lawful Permanent Resident status. Nevertheless, ICE officers arrived at their homes, in some cases entering under false pretenses. Others were detained in stores or other public places.”
“We lament the suffering and recurring trauma of our immigrant neighbors, including many refugees who have fled violence or persecution and have followed every rule,” commented Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. “These are not the nefarious criminals that we should deport. These are families with children whom our country initially welcomed. As evangelicals, we believe every person bears God’s image and deserves safety, dignity and fair treatment.”
Read the full January 13, 2026, statement from World Relief here. (bold emphasis mine throughout)
PLEASE read this January 2026 report (or at least the summary) from the American Immigration Council for context, facts, numbers, and a clear picture of the horrors and injustices of the Trump administration’s cruel crackdown on immigrants.
And lastly, for some final context as to ICE’s recent unlawful and extrajudicial activities, please read the following excerpts from a July 2025 article by Dominique Nicole Marsalek, M.A. (Government Affairs Manager at American Counseling Association). (Bold emphasis mine throughout.)
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a civil agency charged with enforcing federal immigration law. It is not a general law enforcement body. It does not have jurisdiction over U.S. citizens. In fact, it is a violation of federal law for ICE to detain or arrest a U.S. citizen under the guise of immigration enforcement. This is not a theoretical line. It is codified in law, affirmed by the courts, and repeatedly violated in practice. ICE’s legal authority is limited to noncitizens subject to removal proceedings. Any arrest made outside that scope—whether by mistake or intent—is not merely unconstitutional. It is criminal.
ICE’s authority to arrest even noncitizens is itself constrained. The agency may conduct warrantless arrests only in public spaces and only under specific statutory conditions set forth in 8 U.S.C. § 1357. It may not enter private property—homes, businesses, or medical facilities—without either (a) voluntary, informed consent or (b) a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge or magistrate. Internal ICE administrative warrants (Form I-200 or I-205) do not meet this threshold. They are not signed by judges and carry no authority to override the protections of the Fourth Amendment.
The distinction is not academic. It is constitutional.”
“Clothing does not constitute federal identification. A vest that says ‘ICE’, which can be procured anywhere does not meet the threshold of proper identification for a federal agent.”
“A final removal order does not authorize entry onto private property without a judicial warrant. It does not abrogate the Constitution. It does not override the rights of others inside [a] facility. ICE’s failure to present legal authority at the time of entry renders [an] arrest presumptively unlawful.”
“Asking to see a warrant is not interference. It is a constitutional safeguard. No one—staff, physicians, bystanders—has a legal obligation to yield private space to government agents acting outside the bounds of their authority. If anything, failure to demand proof would constitute a dereliction of legal and ethical duty.”
“The executive branch has long sought to expand its authority through administrative mechanisms rather than legislative ones. Immigration enforcement, in particular, has served as a testing ground for bypassing constitutional constraints—through the use of secret facilities, the abuse of removal protocols, and the erosion of due process under color of civil enforcement.
And that erosion is spreading. Private employers are being pressured to turn over location data, employment records, and political affiliations. Hospitals and nonprofit clinics are being asked to report patterns of care. Courts are being asked to treat administrative directives as the functional equivalent of judicial orders. The effect is cumulative. The mechanism is familiar. What begins with immigration will not end there.”
“The law is clear. ICE may not arrest U.S. citizens. It may not enter private property without judicial authority or consent. It may not substitute internal paperwork for judicial process. And it may not use fear, confusion, or delay as retroactive justification.
If this framework fails, it will not fail abstractly. It will fail in schools, clinics, workplaces, and homes. It will fail at the point of contact between the individual and the state. And when it does, the question will no longer be whether we are a country of laws, but whether anyone will say so out loud.”