Local religious groups talk about ICE’s presence in places of worship – KGNS

Laredo, Texas (KGNS) – More than 27 religious groups are tried by Trump’s administration to protect the worship sites after performing immigration arrests across the country.

The court case states that the new policy claims to be spreading fear and causes a more presence in places of worship. “Churches, temples, synagogues and mosques are a very special place for all cultures, not only in our community in Larendo, but also in all cultures, it is a very special place,” said Pastor Hector Petino, who participates in a non -marginal church.

Patino says that people go to church when times in their lives become difficult, seek hope and raise their mood. However, the worship places are in the light of the spotlights against the background of the new Trump administration, which comes into office.

The US Department of Interior Security (DHS) has recently launched changes to allow immigration and customs applications (ICE) agents to be in or close to “sensitive” areas such as schools and places of worship.

In a statement published by DHS on January 21, 2025, it reads in part:

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in schools and churches in America to avoid arrest.”

-The meeting the internal security

This change has a lot of thinking twice before heading to its relevant worship places. Patino added: “If there is an active order and they are looking for a specific individual, I want to believe that the church would be good with this situation on the basis that the individual is dangerous. Do I believe this will happen in our community now? I do not believe that the law enforcement agencies would be good to do these types of things. “

A religious group, which is a vowel to the immigration policy of President Donald Trump, is the Catholic Church. We reached for the Catholic Diocese of Laredo for comment.

In response, we were directed to the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, which released a press release on January 24, which is partly called:

“In the exercise of the fundamental human right to religious freedom, all Catholics, regardless of national origin or status of citizenship, have the right to gather for the celebration of the liturgy and to receive the sacraments without harassment or intimidation.”

– Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops

The newspaper called the Board of Directors, which includes James Tamayo. KGNS reached for other religious groups in the city, including Judaism and Islam, but they will still be heard from them.

To see the full statements of both the Ministry of Homeland Security and the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, click the underlined links found in history.

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