As deportation fears keep immigrants from work, their churches feel financial strain
At Celebration Church, a Portuguese- and English-speaking Baptist congregation in the Boston area, the benevolence fund is supposed to be there to help church families meet basic needs, such as food, clothing and heat, throughout the year. But in April, three months into President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport immigrants, the money had already been almost completely spent.
“If a family member has been detained, the church tries to mobilize to help the families in need,” said Celebration’s pastor, Josias Souza, adding that many other immigrant congregants are afraid to show up to work. “If a person doesn’t work, they don’t get paid,” Souza said.
At Our Family, a multilingual church in the Orlando, Florida, area, the Rev. Lecio Dornas, lead pastor to the church’s Brazilian members, said fear of raids at workplaces or of being stopped while commuting has been the biggest impact of the crackdown on his community, too.