Released Texas pastors say immigration agents threatened family separation

(RNS) — With voices that cracked and a few tears on their cheeks, Pastors Nepthali Zozaya Saucedo and Cinthia Sarai Cardona Otero led their Edinburg, Texas, congregation in praise of God for their recent release from immigration detention and prayer for those left behind.

“As the body of Christ, we can intercede, and not just for our family and friends, but also for people we maybe haven’t even seen, but who also endure pain, who also suffer injustice, who are also fighting to see the light of the sun again and have dignified food for themselves, a space to sleep and a space to be, and above all, a space to be reunited with their families,” said Zozaya in Spanish, his voice full of emotion during the Sunday (July 26) worship service. He told those assembled he had promised cellmates the congregation’s prayers.

The assistant pastors at Comunidad Cristiana Emanuel, an Assemblies of God church, were released on Saturday (July 25) two days after immigration agents detained the married couple on their way to a retreat with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It was their first time away from their three children, and Cardona said the trip represented “a dream” for them.…