Pastor Luis Morales P\u00e9rez was detained on Aug. 6 at George\u00a0Bush Intercontinental Airport while traveling to New York with his family. Morales, who is originally from Venezuela, held Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, until the Trump administration ended the program last year. He was released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Morales said he risked traveling because he didn\u2019t think he would be a target, despite President Trump\u2019s unprecedented immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to travel because (the Trump administration) has said that the priority for detention was people with deportation orders, criminals, and so on,\u201d Morales told the Houston Chronicle on Friday. \u201cAs a pastor, I\u2019m an honest person. I don\u2019t have a criminal record; I don\u2019t owe the government anything. I have nothing to fear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists said Morales oversees four churches in the Houston area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Morales\u2019 arrest, a spokesperson in ICE\u2019s Houston office said any immigrant whose status has lapsed or who lacks any type of legal permission to stay in the U.S. is a target for removal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile ICE prioritizes the arrest of criminal illegal aliens, all those in violation of our nation\u2019s laws are subject to arrest and removal,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Morales has a pending asylum claim and held a valid work authorization when he was detained. ICE officials have said that even though some asylum seekers and other immigrants are given permission to work, employment authorization does not confer legal status or lawful presence.<\/p>\n
He has a hearing in immigration court on Sept. 9 and is required to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of his release.<\/p>\n
Morales\u2019 arrest continues a trend in Houston and the rest of Texas where ICE agents have cast a wide net and focused efforts on detaining anyone without legal status, regardless of criminal history.<\/p>\n