ICE detained Adventist pastor at Houston airport, church says he has legal work authorization

(RNS) — A Seventh-day Adventist pastor was detained by immigration agents last week at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Pastor Luis Morales Pérez leads four Adventist congregations in the Houston area and holds “valid employment authorization,” the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security told RNS that Morales was detained August 6 at the airport.

“His commitment to our mission and the families he serves is unwavering,” the Texas Adventists wrote, asking for people “ to join us in prayer for Pastor Morales and his family that the situation may be resolved quickly.”

Morales, a 50-year-old father of two, according to Telemundo Houston, is at least the third Texas pastor detained by immigration agents at an airport in the last month. The arrests come as the Trump administration has begun detaining people with expired visas at airports, including those who have work permits and pending applications — a group that was not previously targeted for detention.

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