ICE Agents' Presence Outside Sacramento Church Disrupts Worship Service
The pastor of Iglesia Vida Church in Sacramento went on video, assuring his predominantly migrant members they won't be deported while worshipping. The call was prompted after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were seen loitering outside the church the other Sunday.
In a video posted on the church's Facebook page, Pastor Alex Vaiz urged his members to come back to worship on Sunday, saying that immigration people cannot enter a church and disturb their peace. A piece of advice on what do if confronted by ICE agents was also included in the video.
Iglesia Vida was holding a Mother's Day service last May 14. The festive mood was turned into concern when one of the members reported that three unmarked government vehicles were parked outside. The members were worried, considering 60 percent of them have no legal standing to be in the U.S.
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Vaiz went out of the sanctuary to investigate and talk to the government people who told him they were there merely to "investigate." The agents promptly left after being told they can't be there as there is an ongoing church service. But the cars returned 90 minutes later and then left again.
A source from ICE told L.A. Times that a standard operation on a Sunday wasn't typical for their agency especially that they were avoiding sensitive areas like churches and schools. Iglesia Vida is housed at the back of an art gallery studio in Del Paso Boulevard.
But James Schwab, a spokesman for ICE in San Francisco, said their Enforcement Removal Operations were conducting surveillance that day "in conjunction with a targeted enforcement action." He added that the officers were parked on a lot marked by a sign of a bank and weren't aware that the property across the street was used by a church.
ICE has launched an intensified campaign against thousands of undocumented immigrantsfollowing Donald Trump's victory in the recent presidential election. Its arrests from January to mid-March rose by 32.6 percent with 21,362 compared to only 16,104 in the same period last year.
