Faith communities have been grappling with what to do after the Trump administration deemed that churches would no longer be off limits to immigration enforcement.
One church in the city of Bell, however, is doing all it can to welcome its undocumented churchgoers amid uncertainty for the immigrant community.
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WATCH HERE“I have the door open for everyone,” Maria Elena Montalvo, the church’s pastor, said.
For years, the church provided housing to undocumented immigrants, many of whom are asylum seekers. The church’s fellowship serves as a sleeping quarter for up to 45 people.
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SIGN UP Antonio, an asylum seeker from Venezuela who wished not to share his last name, said the political climate keeps him up at night.
“I sometimes can’t sleep because I’m thinking about the situation,” he said. “Many of us come here with a dream and to give our family a better future.”
Until recently, churches were considered sacred spaces that were protected from immigration enforcement. The changed when President Donald Trump removed those protections and a federal judge sided with him, permitting immigration operations to be conducted in places of worship.
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“I know we’re no longer sanctuaries, but are you going to do when someone asks for help? If they ask you for refuge, what can you do,” Montalvo said.
Montalvo wholeheartedly knows the apprehension undocumented immigrants feel since she came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1989. She became a U.S. citizen in 2018.
The pastor admitted to having concerns of possible repercussions, but she’s more concerned about her churchgoers. For now, she said her faith is her strength and what is keeping her doors open.
