By Betsy Woodruff
Evangelical and Catholic churches across the U.S. are worried their pews
will be emptied out by Donald Trump’s deportation plans—and some say
they will become sanctuaries.
If Donald Trump keeps all his campaign promises, thousands of churches could disappear.
That’s according to Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who heads the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical group with more than 40,000 affiliated congregations.
“The very viability of our churches—these are our church members,” he said. “You’re talking about shutting down churches. If you would ever deport 11, 12 million people, you would shut down so many Latino churches. And I mean so many in thousands, without any hyperbole.”
Advent—the four weeks before Christmas Day, when Christians traditionally light Advent candles in church and prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth—is supposed to be a season of hope, peace, and joyful anticipation. But for many Hispanic Christians, Advent this year comes with fear and deep uncertainty. That’s because less than a month after celebrating the birth of Jesus, a new man will come into their lives: Donald Trump. For churches and other faith communities with undocumented members, mass deportations mean empty pews and parentless kids.
It isn’t clear how many people Trump will deport and whether he will direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target people who haven’t committed serious crimes. We just don’t know. So churches that minister to people without papers will spend this Christmas season hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
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Source: The Daily Beast
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