The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) arrested a couple of Mexican Christian pastors with three American children when they were traveling from the airport in McAllen, Texas, to a spiritual retreat, religious organizations reported this Saturday.

They were going to a spiritual retreat

Immigration agents detained Nepthalí Zozaya Saucedo and his wife, Cinthia Saraí Cardona Otero, while they were on their way to a pastoral retreat organized by the Billy Graham Evangelist Association, founded by one of the most influential evangelical leaders in the United States.

Leaders of the National Latino Christian Network (LCNN) reported in a press conference that officials pressured the couple to sign voluntary departure documents under the threat of separating them from their children, who are US citizens.

"We are deeply disturbed by reports that ICE threatened to separate them from their children if they did not sign voluntary departure papers. No parent should ever be pressured to give up their rights under the threat of losing their children," said LCNN board member Sandy Ovalle.

They report threats from ICE

The ICE database indicates that both remain in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Colleagues maintain that the couple remain in the United States on religious visas and have served for more than a decade in the Emmanuel Christian Community, part of the Gulf Coast Hispanic District of the Assemblies of God.

“We urge immigration authorities to show compassion, respect their due process rights and immediately release them so this family can be reunited,” said Pastor Eddie de la Rosa, superintendent of the Texas Gulf Hispanic District.

Churches demand his release

Christian organizations began a campaign to collect signatures to demand the release of the pastors.

The detention occurs while Donald Trump's administration is promoting changes in immigration policies that allow operations at temples and religious events, in addition to an increase in arrests. According to the data cited, ICE and CBP made nearly 43,000 arrests in June, with an average of more than 1,400 detentions daily.

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