Hispanic Pentecostals gather in DC to plead 'mercy' as TPS for El Salvador expires

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, September 09, 2026

WASHINGTON — A group of Hispanic Pentecostal faith leaders gathered at a hotel near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to entreat the Trump administration to show mercy by extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for El Salvador, which expires Wednesday.

During a press conference at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill that was mostly in Spanish, pastors and bishops with the Confraternity of Pentecostal Entities of the Americas (CEPA) highlighted cases of Pentecostal pastors detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CEPA unites approximately 21,000 Pentecostal churches across 36 U.S. states and throughout the Americas.

Bishop Ángel Marcial, a leader in the Cleveland, Tennessee-based Church of God who also serves as president of CEPA, opened by stating that their meeting was not political but pastoral, "accompanied by prophetic voice that is necessary in these times."

"We all speak the language of mercy. That's what precisely unites us," Marcial said through an English translator, both of whom spoke in front of signs that named pastors who have been detained or deported by ICE.

"We are really worried, very worried, for the emotional status of our Salvadoran community, because tomorrow is the end date of the TPS. And we only want to speak to you as ministers, as pastors," he said.

The end of TPS for El Salvador removes legal status and work authorization from more than 170,000 Salvadorans who have lived in the U.S. since the designation began in 2001. There are reportedly 150,000 U.S. citizens who are children of such individuals.

Many of the speakers echoed a statement posted on CEPA's website, which acknowledges that Romans 13 commands Christians to submit to civil authorities, but also claims Scripture "teaches that every legitimate authority has limits: a righteous ruler does not terrorize those who do good; judges must not pervert justice; and the cries of the oppressed reach the ears of God."

The statement calls for an end to indiscriminate deportations and a pathway to legal status; demands that churches, schools and hospitals be immune from immigration enforcement; asks for "fundamental justice" and due process; and urges "humane and accountable treatment in immigration detention centers."

Among those who spoke at the press conference was Bishop Jose Martinez Rincon of the Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, M.I., who said through a translator that CEPA's goal is "to motivate towards the security of our borders, that laws would be followed, and at the same time, that there would be compassion and dignity that is expressed in the Word of God toward the needy, toward the person that has been displaced."

"It is the position of CEPA to look out for those who are suffering," he said.

Rincon went on to claim that because the majority of those deported by ICE are Hispanic, the federal government is evidently detaining people "because of their face." He added that the government's immigration enforcement should take into consideration "the unity of the family," which he suggested is the compassionate, Christ-like thing to do. He also claimed that Jesus and His parents were immigrants because of their flight to Egypt, as well as Abraham and Joseph.

Jacqueline Fuentes, who was the only speaker who spoke in English, said her father, Pastor Marco Antonio Fuentes Cruz of Iglesia de Dios Adulam in Indianapolis, was detained in Indiana last month. She defended individuals in the U.S. illegally by noting they pay taxes.

"I want to first ask in the name of my family, and for those families who are also being affected by the current immigration policies here in the United States, to be let free from detention and to return to their communities. It's not just my family. There are millions of families who have U.S. citizen kids like me," she said.

"Pastors, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, we are being affected by the decisions to detain and separate families. We are hardworking people. My family, even if they're not legal, we are paying taxes. We are not a burden for the country. My parents and many other parents have worked hard, and that's why we have paid houses and we are on time with taxes," she continued.

"As many churches, we represent the millions of people who don't have a voice. We are not political. We are a church who believes in the move of the Holy Spirit. Pastors are critical parts of our community. They bring safety and comfort in times of desperation and fear. It's a moment like this where our pastors should not be behind bars. They should be offering love and care and the hand of God to all immigrants [and] communities in this current situation," she added.

Bishop Juan Garcia, who serves as director of Hispanic ministries for the Church of God, petitioned the Trump administration on behalf of the Pentecostal community to take "immediate action" to restore TPS for Haiti and extend it for El Salvador. He asked for a minimum extension of two years "so that families can duly prepare themselves."

"We're asking for protection for those families from unnecessary separation. We are asking that there would be an end to those indiscriminate detentions and deportations. We ask that our churches be protected; our schools, hospitals and essential spaces for the communities that we represent," he said, adding that each case should be given due process and individual consideration.

Garcia said the church should concern itself with the vulnerable and concluded by expressing his hope "that our nation would be strong in security, firm in justice and great in mercy."