Credible fear

Amid the ICE immigration enforcement surge in January, many WORLD readers wrote asking us to find out more about conditions in detention centers. It took her a while, but Addie Offereins finally found a former detainee willing to talk on the record about his experience. You can read his story in “Detention tension” in this issue. As part of her reporting, Addie also interviewed Blaine Hooper, a pastor in Houston, who had two of his congregants detained by ICE.

Where are these men from? They fled religious persecution in Iran, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in 2024, and turned themselves over to Border Patrol while asking for asylum. It is illegal to convert to Christianity in the Islamic Republic, and converts often endure lengthy prison sentences. Border agents took them into custody where they were vetted and completed credible fear interviews, a crucial first step in the asylum process. Then, authorities released them. They obtained work authorization and driver’s licenses. “They’ve paid taxes. They’ve worked hard. They’ve been a beloved part of our community,” Hooper told me.

How did they end up in custody? ICE detained one without explanation about a week before Christmas during a required check-in at an ICE office, Hooper said. Agents apprehended the other man during an ICE check-in on the day after Christmas. He had arrived at the office a few days late because he mixed up the number on his summons. As of April 28, they had been detained at the Houston Processing Center, owned and operated by Core Civic, for about four months.

What are conditions there like? Hooper tries to visit them weekly and told me the men have lost weight. He said one of them had trouble accessing a daily medication he needed until they called Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s office. When I spoke with Hooper for the second time on April 28, he said the men hadn’t been outside in over three weeks.

Are they likely to be sent back to Iran? An immigration judge ruled to deport one of them during a hearing about the merits of his asylum case. Hooper told me he’s skeptical the judge looked at the case thoroughly: “He’s a persecuted Christian who did a lot of ministry activity in Iran. And his life is truly under threat in the Islamic Republic.” A pro-bono team of lawyers is helping him appeal the decision.

How does Hooper talk to his congregants about the situation? He reminds them that they are called to pray and to care for the stranger like they would care for Jesus Himself. “I know that not everyone has the right to enter the country and the government has the right to enforce its borders,” he told me. But Hooper also believes the government is subjecting immigrants fleeing desperate situations to harsh treatment even though they are doing their best to follow the asylum process. “We respond by loving our enemies, by praying for them, and using whatever levers that we can pull to help others,” he said.