A California pastor is sounding the alarm that the recent immigration crackdown across the United States is affecting church attendance.
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who also serves as the Hispanic evangelical adviser to President Donald Trump, said some churches that are part of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) have seen a drop of 25 to 35 percent due to immigration raids.
According to The Roys Report (TRR), church leaders in congregations in Washington State, Chicago, and Los Angeles have also reported a decline in numbers.
Before the Trump administration’s crackdown in his second term, churches nationwide had generally been off-limits to immigration agents.
Rodriguez, who is also the president of NHCLC and pastor of New Season Church in Sacramento, is now rallying Latino evangelical Christians to support bipartisan legislation that lawmakers refer to as “immigration reform.”
The Dignity Act consists of five core principles: ending illegal immigration once and for all, reforming the outdated asylum system, providing a dignified solution for undocumented immigrants living in the United States, protecting American workers and supporting industries, and ensuring the country remains prosperous and competitive in the future.
“There’s never been a more conservative proposal. None ever, ever, ever. This does not grant citizenship. This is the opposite of amnesty,” Rodriguez reportedly stated during NHCLC’s annual summit on Tuesday.
He continued that this legislation, if passed, would provide immigrants who entered the country illegally with the chance to work legally while granting people dignity.
Rodriguez also said he supports the deportation of criminals.
His comments come at a time when recent polls show a decrease in support for President Donald Trump among Hispanic voters.
According to a newly published survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 25 percent of Hispanic adults said they had a “somewhat” or “very” favourable view of Trump in October, Newsweek reports — down from 44 percent before he was inaugurated in January 2025.
Hispanic voters were an important voting bloc for Trump in securing his second bid for the White House. The poll shows that his support is decreasing among this bloc due to his handling of the economy and inflation.