ICE, the American Gestapo: Persecuting the Persecuted

There was a time when Americans believed their country stood for freedom, justice, and the protection of the oppressed. But those ideals are now being systematically violated by one of our own institutions: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In their aggressive and unaccountable tactics, ICE has begun to resemble a 21st-century Gestapo—an agency more focused on instilling fear than upholding justice.

A chilling example unfolded in June 2025, when masked ICE agents apprehended two Iranian Christian asylum-seekers in West Los Angeles. These men were members of a Farsi-speaking evangelical congregation—Cornerstone West LA—pastored by Ara Torosian, himself a former Iranian political prisoner and Christian convert. These individuals had pending asylum claims and no criminal records. Yet they were detained without explanation beyond opaque "security flags"—a term disturbingly reminiscent of the Soviet Union's vague accusations of “subversion.” No warrants were shown. No grace was offered. No hearing was granted. Just a black van, government agents, and a cold sidewalk (Christianity Today, 2025).

ICE defenders argue that such actions are necessary to preserve national security. But since when did national security mean detaining unarmed, unthreatening churchgoers? Let us be clear: ICE did not raid a church building, but it intimidated a church community. By targeting refugees who fled Islamic oppression only to find persecution under a new flag, ICE has crossed a moral line. These Christians did not come to exploit America—they came to worship freely, something their homeland denied them.

This isn’t isolated. We’ve seen ICE agents drag parents from school pick-ups, detain laborers at job sites, and patrol hospital corridors. There’s no practical difference between arresting someone in a sanctuary space and ambushing them just outside it. The moral optics are identical—and deeply shameful. Our laws may be designed to enforce borders, but Scripture commands us to “defend the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and love the foreigner residing among you” (Deuteronomy 10:18, NLT). ICE’s behavior reveals a growing disregard for both the law’s purpose and God’s heart.

Furthermore, this erosion of compassion is not just un-American—it’s un-Christian. Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35, NLT). Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that government is God’s servant for good—not a terror to those who do right. But when ICE becomes a terror to law-abiding Christians, it’s time to ask: Who is it really serving? Certainly not the gospel. Certainly not liberty.

The image of masked agents arresting believers outside their home echoes the darkest chapters of history. This isn’t the America of Ellis Island and religious liberty. This is an America teetering toward authoritarian control under the guise of border enforcement. And when Christians themselves are being persecuted by our own government, the Church must not stay silent. We must call out injustice, demand transparency, and protect the vulnerable, especially when their only “crime” is faith in Christ.

Sources:

Shellnutt, Kate. “ICE Detains Iranian Christians Attending LA Church.” Christianity Today, 25 June 2025, www.christianitytoday.com.

Flynn, J.D. “ICE Agents Detain Migrants on Church Grounds, Diocese Says.” National Catholic Reporter, 20 June 2025, www.ncronline.org.

Pierce, Sarah. “Chilling Effect: The Criminalization of Asylum Seekers in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute, May 2020, www.migrationpolicy.org.

MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Zondervan, 2008.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, 2015.

Matthew 25:35

Deuteronomy 10:18

Romans 13:1–4

Hebrews 13:3

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