A pastor in New Jersey was taken into custody by immigration agents while working at his day job in food delivery, according to church members.
Yeison Cortes Vasquez was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 20. He is a pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth.Â
Officials from the National Latino Evangelical Coalition said on Wednesday that Vasquez has no criminal record. He has been ministering to other detainees while in custody at Delaney Hall in Newark, they said in a statement.
Pastor Yeison Cortes Vasquez was detained by immigration agents in March.Â
National Latino Evangelical Coalition
The coalition’s chairwoman said plans are in place to retain an attorney for Vasquez.
“So this is not just about one pastor. This is about the kind of nation that we are becoming when a man of faith with no criminal record can be taken from his family,” the Rev. Enid Almanzar said.Â
Vasquez overstayed visa, DHS says
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the pastor illegally entered the country in January of 2016 from Colombia. Vasquez allegedly overstayed a tourist visa that expired in July of that year.Â
“Against our nation’s laws, he knowingly overstayed his visa by nearly a decade and failed to depart. He will remain in ICE custody pending his removal procedures,” the statement read.Â
“Any allegation that Cortes Vasquez was denied a bible while in detention are FALSE. ICE facilities do not deny detainees accesses to holy coverings or texts. Detainees are given the opportunity to practice their religions. ICE provides all religious items permitted as soon as detainees make the request,” the spokesperson added.
Church leaders demand Vasquez’s release
Church leaders are now trying to get him out of detention before Easter on Sunday.Â
“For us, this is devastating because this is our holy week. This is the week we are celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord. The church is devastated,” said the Rev. Dan Mendez. “Instead of celebrating our spiritual holiday, we are crying and praying for the situation of our dear brother.”
Speaking outside the detention facility on Thursday, the Rev. Gabriel Salguero of The Gathering Place Church said, “We did not vote for this. We do not support this,” and added, “He has been in this country for over 10 years, doesn’t have any criminal record, never committed any violent crimes, salt of the earth man, and he’s housed in here in inhumane conditions.”
New Jersey Congressman Rob Menendez and Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, both Democrats, said they visited Vasquez earlier in the day.
“This whole mass deportation machine was supposed to be about deporting violent criminals, violent felons, and, in turn, we have a pastor here, a father,” Espaillat said.
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