Good Faith When Fear Comes to Church: Pastor Paco Amador on ICE Raids and the Call to Love Our Neighbors
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Oct 16, 2025 Pastor Luis "Paco" Amador leads New Life Community Church in Chicago’s Little Village, advocating for immigrant rights amid ICE raids. He shares poignant stories of family separations and the fear gripping the community, likening raids to military occupation. Paco emphasizes the church's role as a beacon of hope and resilience, drawing parallels between the biblical themes of migration and the plight of today's migrants. He calls for compassion, unity, and a biblical response to suffering, urging listeners to support their immigrant neighbors with love and action.
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Church At Neighborhood Center
- Little Village is a longtime immigrant hub that now hosts Spanish, English, and Mayan congregations at New Life Community Church.
- Paco describes a vibrant, young neighborhood where the church sits at the community's heart.
Mass Detentions Upend Community
- Paco recounts widespread ICE detentions that swept Chicagoland, taking around 1,300 people in a month and destabilizing families.
- He says many detained people had some legal status and communities now live in fear of daily activities like going to the store.
Family Separated After Baptism
- Paco shares the story of a newly baptized couple taken by agents while leaving home with their toddler despite having documentation.
- The wife was released with a bracelet, the husband detained and moved elsewhere, leaving uncertainty about their child's care.
