Grossly dehumanizing and xenophobic. This is how the Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota, described President Trump’s December 2 comments, in which he called Somalis “garbage” four times and said “We don’t want ’em in our country” five times. The chief executive also painted Somalis living in America as a people who “contribute nothing.”
According to the Associated Press, Trump and other administration officials have heightened their criticism of the East African nation and its people, including those living in the United States, after a conservative news outlet claimed that taxpayer dollars had been funneled to the militant group al-Shabab, an affiliate of the terrorist group al-Qaida.
After Trump’s comments, multiple news outlets confirmed that ICE operations targeting undocumented Somalis in Minnesota—the state with the largest Somali diaspora community—had begun.
“When anyone with power and influence speaks, their words have consequences for the ways in which real human beings are seen and treated,” Loya wrote on Facebook. “As followers of Jesus, our baptismal promises to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to renounce the evil forces in the world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God compel us to condemn such rhetoric and resist such actions.”
Loya said he and the diocese will continue to “stand with those who are targeted by hateful rhetoric or scapegoating policies.” He also shared a link to the diocese’s Migration Caucus, created after last year’s diocesan convention passed a Migration with Dignity resolution. The caucus encompasses the Migrant Support Fund, which supports immediate needs of migrants.
In the Diocese of Los Angeles, Bishop John Taylor mentioned similar concerns in a video message. He said that in congregations in which English is not the principal language of worship, “many of the members … were afraid to go to the church because of our government’s cruel ICE raids and roundups.”
He added: “Not only are they afraid to go to church, but they’re afraid to come to the park with their family. They were afraid to go to the supermarket to shop for Thanksgiving groceries, and they’re afraid right now to go to the store to shop for Christmas because they just can’t be sure about that sketchy-looking white van in the parking lot.”
In June, during immigration enforcement operations in Southern California, 14 Episcopalians were arrested and detained, the diocese said via email.
In November, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, announced it has deported more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants since January, a vast majority being criminals. But both the figures and the claim attached to them have been deemed questionable. Of those who were detained—and have yet to be deported—only five percent had a violent criminal conviction, said the CATO Institute, a Libertarian think tank. Three in four had no criminal conviction.
Moreover, some of those detained, like the daughter of the Rev. Kyrie Kim in the Diocese of New York, were taken into custody despite having a valid, unexpired visa. In the Diocese of Texas, a priest originally from Kenya who works full time for a state government agency was detained by ICE in late October. The Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi has now been held for over a month—spending the Thanksgiving holiday and the first Sunday of Advent in custody.
In an earlier interview with The Living Church, the Rev. Blake Rider, rector of St. Stephen’s Church in Huntsville, Texas, said that Mwangi had a work permit. The Kenyan clergy member serves as an assisting priest for a newly formed outreach congregation for Swahili-speakers in East Texas.
“We have no reason to believe that the detained priest has committed any wrongdoing,” Tammy Lanier, director of communications for the Diocese of Texas, told TLC. “He did not ignore the laws or his responsibility, as his case remained in process.”
Rider started a GoFundMe account for Mwangi after the priest opted to return to Kenya voluntarily.
“The community remains heartbroken by the trauma experienced by Fr. James and his family. He is aware of the many calls, emails, and prayers offered on his behalf, and remains deeply grateful for the outpouring of love,” said a message from the diocese.
Immigration was a signature issue in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. “The Republican platform promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country,” the third-time presidential candidate declared. Moments after he was sworn in for his second term in January, the president signed an executive order titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
The guideline provides for an expedited removal policy in which undocumented immigrants anywhere in the United States who cannot prove they have lived in the country for at least two years will be subject to an expedited deportation.
Stephen Miller, the White House adviser overseeing the administration’s mass deportations, announced that the Trump administration had set a goal for ICE of 3,000 arrests per day. Although the pace of arrests in 2025 falls below the target, a report by Axios revealed that in recent weeks, ICE’s average number of arrests had increased to an estimated 1,100 people per day. The daily arrest average between January 20 and October 15 was 821.
According to the report, agents have been encouraged to make more “collateral arrests,” which involve apprehending people who happen to be with someone on a target list.
Louisiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina are states where ICE has ramped up operations. In addition to Loya, church leaders from the dioceses of North Carolina and Louisiana have also criticized the initiatives.
“We denounce these activities because they are antithetical to our faith and to the teachings of Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Maryann Younger, rector of St. Philip’s Church in Durham, North Carolina, in a video message to the congregation. Younger shared the message with the Rev. Gabe Lamazares, associate rector, by her side on the day Border Patrol agents were spotted in large numbers in Durham.
“If you or your neighbors are afraid or impacted, you are not alone. We are praying with you and committed to showing up for justice and safety for all of our neighbors,” the video’s caption read, with instructions on what to do when people see someone detained and hotline numbers for Carolina Migrant Network, among other immigrant advocacy groups.
Bishop Shannon Rogers Duckworth of Louisiana, on learning of planned operations across various Louisiana communities, released a statement urging those involved in the operations “to conduct themselves with compassion” and avoid actions that will separate families unnecessarily. Duckworth urged them to “honor the inherent worth of every human being regardless of immigration status.”
Aside from public statements and warnings, church leaders have also staged rallies near detention centers. Earlier this year, a pilgrimage was held with the support of two dioceses that play a significant role in the migrant crisis and where participants held vigils in some of the country’s largest detention facilities.
Every Tuesday, the Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries holds a 30-minute update over Zoom about the changing policy landscape affecting immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. Spanish interpretation is offered during the virtual meetings.
Consistent with previous General Convention resolutions, the 81st General Convention passed C031, Migration with Dignity, which calls on all Episcopalians to support arriving migrants’ immediate needs and to exhort public officials to guarantee immigrants’ welcome, protection, and “integration into our common human journey.”
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
