A Christian church in Los Angeles denounced this Monday that agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service burst into a "religious act" and threatened the people who were there at the time, after arresting at least one Mexican who has already been deported to his country. The incident, which was captured on video, occurred the morning of the past January 26 when members of the Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission, in the city of North Hills, in Los Angeles County, were delivering food and holding an activity with children and mothers, as part of their community aid ministry. "Our sacred space was desecrated. Our food ministry is an expression of God's love for the hungry, and as a result of ICE's senseless actions, we were forced to suspend it," said Pastor Ervin Adin Aguilón, who leads the church at a press conference this Monday. The religious leader was emphatic that the agents interrupted a "religious act" that is contemplated in the Bible. In videos taken by witnesses, agents can be seen entering the church's parking lot and chasing Mexican Carlos Chávez, a community member who was arrested and deported to his country over the weekend. The agents, with their faces covered and heavily armed, blocked access to the parking lot with their vehicles, forcing many members to remain hours taking refuge in the church. "Imagine being a child and seeing your mother scared, crying, and wondering what is happening, and having to be locked in a small room for hours," Pastor Aguilón pointed out. Guillermo Torres, director of immigration policy for Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), a religious organization that led the "rapid response" strategy, told EFE that the incident is another demonstration of "the cruelty" of ICE and the lack of respect for the church. "What they did is illegal," Torres stated. This is not the first time that religious leaders have denounced that immigration raids have reached churches; last year, ICE agents entered without permission the headquarters of a Christian church. In contrast, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused at least four people, including journalist Don Lemon, a former star presenter at CNN, for covering a protest in which a group of demonstrators interrupted a religious service in a church to protest against their pastor, who also works for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service. Activists have pointed to "the double standard" of the White House on the issue. "It made us question to what extent our country has come and think that we cannot even be safe in our churches," Aguilón emphasized, adding that churches must continue to be a "sanctuary." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not commented on the complaint.
