Iranian Christians seeking asylum in the U.S. have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting backlash from church leaders.
Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone West Los Angeles filmed two members of his Farsi-speaking congregation—an Iranian husband and wife—being arrested by masked agents on Tuesday. The couple, with pending asylum cases, fled Iran to escape religious persecution.
“There are people currently in Iran who were baptized in this very church,” Torosian wrote earlier, urging prayer for Persian believers amid escalating violence in Iran.
Torosian confronted ICE agents, saying, “He’s an asylum-seeker,” but was told the CBP One app they used was “no longer valid.” The wife collapsed during the arrest.
Other Iranian Christians from the church were also reportedly detained. Arrests of law-abiding Christians, many with no criminal records, have stirred concern nationwide. “They came here for freedom, not like this,” said Torosian. “Shame on this government.”
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