Virginia church rallies behind Iranian sisters detained by immigration enforcement
A Virginia church is rallying behind two Iranian sisters active in the congregation who were recently detained by immigration enforcement officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands while traveling after Thanksgiving.
The U.S. Border Patrol Ramey Sector posted on its Facebook account last week that agents "encountered two illegal aliens from Iran" in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
"Ramey Sector agents responded and assumed custody of the individuals. Both subjects are being processed for removal proceedings," stated the Puerto Rico-based Ramey Sector.
"[U.S. Customs and Border Protection] in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Virgin Islands remains committed to securing our borders and safeguarding our communities."
According to a CBP statement last week, "CBP officers were conducting outbound operations at the Cyril E. King Airport when they encountered two Iranian national women who were determined to be illegally present in the U.S."
"No fun in the sun when you are unlawfully present," CBP stated. "In coordination with US Border Patrol Ramey Sector agents, the two women were arrested and transported to be processed for removal."
A report from Episcopal News Service identified the women as Mahan and Mozhan Motahari, two sisters who have been active at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia, for the past three years. The congregation has several members of Iranian heritage.
The sisters have been in the United States since 2022. While their initial encounter with Christianity occured in Iran, they were later baptized at St. Thomas Episcopal.
The sisters' lawyer, Parastoo Zahedi, told ENS that his clients lawfully applied for asylum and disputed the claim that they were in the country illegally, arguing that previous administrations have allowed asylum seekers to remain in the country while their petitions are pending.
The Rev. Fran Gardner-Smith, rector at St. Thomas, told ENS that her church was praying for the sisters and working to secure clergy visitations for them while they are detained in Florida.
"These are people that are valued members of our community," said Gardner-Smith. "They're missing from us, and we are grieving … like someone cut off our arm."
"We long for them to be returned to their family and to our community. The church is the body of Christ and ours is incomplete without them present."
Since taking office earlier this year, President Donald Trump has overseen a ratcheting up of immigration enforcement operations, including detaining and deporting suspected undocumented immigrants.
The administration and its supporters argue that enforcement operations are necessary to crack down on dangerous criminal elements, while critics have charged that many who have followed legal processes or are fled persecution have been unjustly harmed.
In June, Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone Church in Los Angeles, California, reported that five members of his predominantly Iranian congregation had been detained by authorities, including a family that was seeking asylum.
This operation included an incident captured on cellphone video showing federal agents detaining a couple outside their home, with the woman reportedly suffering a panic attack as her husband was taken away.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security described the couple as "two Iranian nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. — both flagged as subjects of national security interest," according to Fox11 News.
"When one experienced a medical emergency, agents immediately contacted EMS and escorted her to the hospital. … The female has since been discharged and both individuals are now in [Enforcement and Removal Operations] custody," stated DHS.
In a July op-ed published by The Los Angeles Times, Torosian, who fled Iran years ago after being on house arrest for two years, criticized the detention of the church members.
"I believe that America is better than this," he stressed. "This behavior reminds me disturbingly of what I fled in Iran. But I know that most Americans do not support this, nor do most fellow evangelical Christians: Many evangelicals voted for Trump because he pledged to protect persecuted Christians — not to deport them."
Eleven other Iranian Christians who were deported from the U.S. to Panama earlier this year reportedly received an extension in June to remain in Panama on humanitarian visas. They were given six months to find refuge in a third country.
Advocates, such as those with the U.S.-based International Christian Concern, say that some, like 27-year-old Artemis Ghasemzadeh, who crossed the border illegally in December 2024, were never given "credible fear" interviews, as is customary for asylum seekers.
