Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal is currently preaching at a detention center in Louisiana after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested him in Maryland just days prior.
“He’s a remarkably resilient man, and for all of the trauma that he has been subjected to and the stress that’s been inflicted upon him and on his family, he is upbeat and his spirits are good,” Len Foxwell, a spokesperson for the family, told Maryland Matters.
The community in Eastern Shore, Maryland, knows Fuentes Espinal as the pastor of Jesus Te Ama Iglesia del Nazareno in Easton, which translates to Jesus Love You Church of the Nazarene. He’s been the pastor since 2015. It’s an unpaid position at the church. He works in construction to pay the family’s bills.
ICE agents arrested Fuentes Espinal at a hardware shop where he had stopped to purchase construction materials on his way to work. Unidentified agents reportedly stopped and detained him before transferring him to Baltimore. His family only discovered his whereabouts when he called later that night, just as they were about to file a missing person’s report. Several days later, he was transferred to a detention facility near New Orleans, Louisiana.
“His exact words to his daughter were: ‘This must be God’s plan,’” said Foxwell.
Foxwell organised a GoFundMe campaign titled “Help Free Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal.” More than $40,000 of the $50,000 goal has already been raised.
“Your contribution will be used by his family to cover Pastor Fuentes Espinal's growing legal expenses and provide his family with basic needs in the absence of their primary breadwinner,” a statement from the campaign reads.
According to the family, Fuentes Espinal is a father of three and a beloved member of the Eastern Shore community. He is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who has lived in the U.S. for 24 years and does not have a criminal record.
His arrest comes as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on a campaign promise to enact mass deportations. As a result, ICE agents are appearing in areas known for day labourers and are reportedly raiding places that were previously off-limits, such as courts, schools, and hospitals.
Critics say the Trump administration is engaging in racial profiling and targeting people based solely on appearing Hispanic. Opponents have also criticised the administration, which previously stated it would only pursue the “worst of the worst.” However, as Maryland Matters reports, only 45% of those arrested have criminal convictions. The remaining 40% are like Fuentes Espinal: individuals without any criminal record.