What Does Deportation Mean for the American Church
The mission of the church in America is to reach as many people as possible for Christ through the power of the local church. Beset with the “rise of the nones” and the “dechurching” of America, we are rightly alarmed and motivated to do everything in our power to renew our commitment to the Great Commission.
Yet a new report published by four prominent Catholic and evangelical organizations claims that around one in 12 Christians in the U.S. is vulnerable to deportation or live with a family member who could be deported under the current administration.
“Our prayer with this report,” says Matthew Soerens of World Relief (one of the authors of the report), “is that American Christians will recognize that these proposed deportations, to whatever extent they ultimately become a reality, are not just a policy issue but a dynamic that will impact us, followers of Jesus who were knit together in unity under Christ.”
There are currently more than 10 million Christian immigrants in the U.S. at the end of 2024 who are vulnerable to deportation. This isn’t just undocumented immigrants, but also those with legal status that could be revoked, such as asylum seekers awaiting a final court proceeding. It also includes “people currently protected by programs and designations such as Temporary Protected Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Deferred Enforced Departure and humanitarian parole.”
The impact this will have on churches across our nation is almost incalculable. Walter Kim, head of the National Association of Evangelicals, calls it a “church decline strategy” as opposed to a church growth strategy.
As reported by the Religion News Service, Kim, head of the NAE, cited recent polling showing that less than one-fifth of evangelicals support deporting immigrants who have spouses or children who are U.S. citizens, have been in the country for 10 years or more, or who are willing to pay a fine as restitution for their violation of any immigration law.
An earlier survey of Hispanic Pastors conducted by Lifeway Research found that among respondents, “25 percent reported that at least one member of their leadership team had undocumented legal status, while on average, 21 percent of their attendees lacked legal status.”
If the United States were to lose 14 million Christians to mass deportation, roughly the population of Pennsylvania, there should be no illusion as to whom they would include: pastors, Sunday School teachers, church planters, worship leaders, coaches and mentors, volunteers, tithers, and those actively involved in evangelizing their friends and neighbors.
Let us be clear: Americans have cited immigration as the most important problem facing our country. I don’t know anyone, no matter where they stand on how to solve the immigration issue, who doesn’t think that what we are facing right now is a mess for everyone concerned. The key concern has to do with losing control of our borders. And no one wants to lose control.
Like any other country, we have limited resources available to us to care for those who are within our borders. A limited number of jobs, limited housing, limited... everything. It doesn’t serve anyone to let people come, only to have them go hungry or find themselves homeless or unemployed.
We also want to make sure that no one enters our country who is fleeing law enforcement in their own country. We don’t want to be a place where people come to escape justice. There isn’t a country on the planet that doesn’t have a vested interest in a secure border and a way of processing those who want to cross it.
Yet no matter how much people who follow Christ can differ on hammering out the specifics of immigration reform or protecting our borders, caring for the stranger – the alien, the foreigner – is a deeply biblical idea.
Particularly when they are brothers and sisters in Christ.
And more than 75% of immigrants at risk of deportation in the U.S. are just that.
James Emery White
Sources
Jack Jenkins, “Evangelical, Catholic Groups: 1 in 12 Christians Could Be Impacted By Trump Deportations,” Religion News Service, March 31, 2025, read online.
Andy Olsen, “America Could Lose 10 Million Christians to Mass Deportation,” Christianity Today, March 31, 2025, read online.
Bekah McNeel, “Latino Immigrants Are Evangelizing America,” Christianity Today, July 24, 2019, read online.
Peter Smith, “Most Immigrants at Risk of Deportation from US Are Christian, Report Finds,” AP News, April 2, 2025, read online.
Diana Chandler, “8 Percent of U.S. Christians Live in Homes Susceptible to Deportation, Report Estimates,” Baptist Press, April 1, 2025, read online.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Naeblys
Published Date: April 7, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published April 07, 2025.
