Rising deportations test Texas Baptist churches

For Hispanic Baptist churches across Texas, immigration enforcement is becoming more than a national policy debate. Pastors and congregations say they are seeing the effects firsthand as some members are deported, leave the country out of fear, or are separated from their families.

Nationwide, the unauthorized immigrant population reached an estimated 14 million in 2023, the highest level on record, after two consecutive years of record growth, according to the Pew Research Center. Texas was home to an estimated 2.1 million unauthorized immigrants that year, second only to California among states.

Data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse show Texas accounts for roughly 24 percent of immigration arrests nationwide. The state also has the nation’s largest population of people held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, with 16,450 detainees in fiscal year 2026, TRAC data shows.

The effects of immigration enforcement have also reached Texas churches and ministries serving immigrant communities. In February 2025, Texas religious organizations were among 27 groups that sued the Trump administration over a policy allowing immigration arrests in houses of worship, according to Spectrum News.

Religious leaders involved in the lawsuit reported some people were staying away from churches, food banks, and English-language classes because they feared being targeted.

In April 2025, Baptist Standard reported Hispanic Texas Baptist churches and immigrant ministries were continuing to feel the effects of immigration policy changes and the broader threat of mass deportations.

Congregations under pressure

Jesse Rincones, executive director of Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas, which represents about 1,100 Hispanic Baptist churches in Texas, was among those who challenged the policy allowing immigration arrests in churches.

Rincones said the presence of immigration enforcement in churches could interfere with congregations’ ability to worship and serve their communities.

More than a year later, Rincones said immigration enforcement continues to affect Texas Baptist congregations. He said Convención is hearing from churches about declining attendance and giving, as well as pastors accompanying members to immigration appointments.

“[We] are aware of at least 23 congregations that have experienced declines in attendance and giving as a result of immigration-related challenges affecting their members and communities,” Rincones said.

“Pastors have also reported accompanying church members to regularly scheduled immigration check-ins. In some cases, they say individuals who were complying with their legal requirements have been detained by ICE during or following those appointments. These situations have created significant fear, uncertainty, and hardship for affected families and congregations,” he said.

Listening encouraged

“In our church alone, we currently have three families who have been separated because of deportation and two other families who deported themselves out of fear. These are not statistics to us. These are people we worship with, pray with, and know personally,” Pablo Juarez, pastor of First Baptist Church Kaufman en Español, said.

“Their absence is felt in our congregation, but more importantly, their families are living with the consequences every day,” he said.

Believing “this is happening in other Hispanic Baptist churches across Texas,” Juarez said he doesn’t think the full scope is known.

“Texas Baptists and Convención would benefit from listening directly to Hispanic pastors and congregations to understand how widespread the impact really is,” Juarez said.

Rincones agreed. Referencing the differing situations in the various places immigrants are deported: “Rather than generalize, we believe it is important to listen carefully to the experiences of those directly affected. Families and pastors can speak most accurately to the particular challenges their loved ones face after deportation, including the difficulty of rebuilding their lives while separated from family, church, and established support networks,” Rincones said.

Responding to the crisis

Amid deportations, churches are trying to respond pastorally, but many lack the proper resources and preparation, Juarez explained.

“In our congregation, we have had to walk with families through fear, separation, financial difficulties, uncertainty, and grief. The church becomes a place where people can come for prayer, emotional support, practical assistance, and simply to know that they are not alone,” he said.

Despite rising uncertainty, Juarez emphasized how ministries like Convención have offered consistent, critical support for families in need.

“Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas has been supportive of us during this difficult season. They have provided both emotional and financial support to pastors, which has been meaningful and helpful. That kind of support demonstrates the importance of denominational relationships when pastors and churches are experiencing a crisis,” he said.

Rincones explained how churches have “become an important source of stability and community during times that are so uncertain to these families.”

“Churches are responding spiritually and practically to families experiencing separation. Congregations [provide] spiritual care, prayer, meals, transportation, sometimes financial assistance, and other types of support as needs arise. They are also walking alongside families to help them navigate the emotional, financial, and practical consequences of separation,” he said.

Rincones called on the government to administer consistent immigration law and encouraged Texas Baptists to “remember that behind every immigration case are people created in the image of God.”

“[The] government should administer immigration law consistently, transparently, and in accordance with established legal processes. Individuals and families should be treated with dignity, and the procedures and protections provided under the law should be faithfully observed,” he said.

Juarez echoed Rincones, calling on churches to respond to the needs of families affected by deportation.

“I believe our response must begin with the biblical conviction that every person is created in the image of God and possesses God-given dignity. We can have legitimate disagreements about immigration policy and enforcement, but those disagreements should never prevent us from speaking about the dignity and humane treatment of people,” he said.

“The church should not be afraid to speak when people are suffering. An appropriate response includes prayer and pastoral care, but it should also include practical action: helping families in crisis, connecting them with trustworthy resources, caring for children, providing trauma-informed counseling, and developing partnerships with churches in communities where deported people are returning.”

A threefold response

Jered Dobbs, an immigration lawyer and active member of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, said the most appropriate response to these deportations is threefold.

“First, we must always trust the Lord and his providence. In this context, that begins with prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ being affected by deportations. Second, I think it is incumbent upon us as believers to use whatever resources and influence we have to support our brothers and sisters in Christ, including those facing deportation,” Dobbs said.

“Lawyers, politicians, businesspeople, everyone has a sphere of influence and a skill set. We must use these talents for the good of those who love the Lord alongside us,” he said.

“Third, churches must ensure that those amongst us facing deportation or other immigration-related challenges know they are welcome in our places of worship and our Christian communities. Our one goal, as with all people, should be to point them to Jesus,” he continued.

Dobbs emphasized how, regardless of earthly circumstances, it is crucial for believers to share Christ with those affected by deportations.

“Even as deportations are ongoing, our churches can share Christ with those being affected. We know he is our eternal hope regardless of our earthly circumstances. And if a brother or sister is deported, our churches can continue offering God’s love in Christ through online channels to deportees,” he said.

The one silver lining of deportation, Dobbs said, is the gospel follows believing deportees wherever they go.

“The one silver lining of deportation is that, when a believer is deported, the gospel goes with them … as much as it did when the believers in the early church were scattered by persecution. So, we should not abandon or forget our brothers or sisters who have been deported. Though we may lose their presence here, they are the seeds of the church in new places. We must support them as much as we can.”