This week, MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart spoke to a prominent evangelical Hispanic leader who was angry with Trump’s recent policy decisions. The president issued an executive order that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to apprehend illegal immigrants in schools, churches, and hospitals. The pastor melted down when confronted by Trump’s strong plans for the border.
The host introduced the segment by saying, “Immigrants are in fear; many are hunkering down as the Trump administration has made it easier for immigration agents to conduct arrests. Frustration is following [a decision to let] Immigration and Customs Enforcement conduct operations in sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, playgrounds, and daycare centers.”
The MSNBC Anchor introduced Pastor Gabriel Salguero, who is the President of the National Evangelical Coalition. ” I am the pastor of the Gathering Place. It’s an evangelical …church in Florida. I’m also the president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, a coalition of about 3000 Hispanic Evangelical congregations across the country.” He added that his church “includes citizens, undocumented persons, and families.”
The host questioned the pastor: “So there are about 9 million Latino evangelicals living in the United States…What are the what are those [who] don’t have legal status telling you about how they are feeling?” “I think there is a deep sense of anxiety and fear. As pastors, our job is to be called not to fear but to be prepared,” the pastor responded.
He blasted the Trump Admin’s “promise to go to after violent criminals who are undocumented. Why the order [allowing raids on] sensitive locations of churches or hospitals or schools or playgrounds? I don’t know any church that is intentionally or knowingly housing violent criminals.” He also said,” I think it’s an affront to our ministry and to our religion to even insinuate that there are violent criminals being somehow covered by the church or pastor. ”
He added another argument: “We are not police officers or ice agents? We don’t ask people their status. We’re not qualified to do background criminal checks on people. We do [have] bad people, obviously, who are working in our church, but the truth is that.. our response is to respect boundaries.” He explained that they respect boundaries when it comes to immigration status, detention status, and other major issues.
He took particular issue with Trump’s plan to abolish birthright citizenship. “Why did they try to repeal birthright citizenship? People [who] are [just] born [in America], they’re not violent criminals. And so what I hear is a kind of doublespeak.” He said that Trump should be more worried about the “1000 people who were violent on January 6. ”
He concluded by saying, “So for us as Latino evangelicals, what we’re asking for [from Trump], yes, do your job. Respect the job, but at the same time, respect the religious liberty.” Trump has made a flurry of executive orders in the first few weeks of his presidency. The changes to birthright citizenship and unleashing ICE to enforce immigration law are two of the most significant.