The reorganization of evangelical communities in the United States in the face of migratory hardening
On September 7, 2025, a report by the Reuters agency revealed how evangelical Christian communities, mainly Hispanic, reorganized their practices under the growing impact of migration raids led by the ICE during the Trump mandate. Affecting cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Portland, this federal campaign has led to a notable decrease of 35 to 70% of the physical attendance of local churches, whose parishes are now turning to virtual cults and home communions.
Evangelical officials, such as Samuel Rodriguez (NHCLC), Emma Lozano (Lincoln United Metited Methodist in Chicago) and Gabriel Salguero, testify to the exhaustion and the psychological challenges induced by the fear of expulsion, which their faithful suffer today. This transformation of worship has been all the more marked since the federal decision to lift, in January, the protection of “sensitive areas” – places of worship traditionally spared by the agents of the ICE. In Oregon, participation in Spanish cults increased from 40 to 12 people, while biblical schools and community life collapsed, a phenomenon also observed in Texas and Illinois.
Evangelical leaders and militants today bring together their forces, organizing psychological support and legal appeal. Many complaints have been filed since July and are still awaiting judgment before the courts of Massachusetts. The official reactions of the Department of Homeland Security and the presidential administration underline a policy “of strict application of the law”, while the religious community evokes a serious attack on the right to cultural freedom and social cohesion. The report thus highlights a rapid, constrained and painful mutation of the American evangelical model, between solidarity, resilience and forced adaptation in front of the migratory emergency.
