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Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda is forcing some Christians into the shadows and others to take their work underground.
While Trump and his administration have portrayed the president as a hero to (right-wing) Christians, they’ve taken a more antagonistic approach to other Christian groups. Some Christians in the U.S. have reportedly stopped attending public services out of justifiable fear of being apprehended or deported, while other denominations are taking steps to protect programs that could draw the ire of the administration or its allies.
For example, Aleja Hertzler-McCain and Jack Jenkins reported for Religion News Service on Tuesday that some churches in Washington, D.C., have seen attendance fall sharply or have had to cancel services outright because of parishioners’ fears about the administration’s authoritarian crackdown.
According to the report, this sea change was felt most acutely this past weekend:
Multiple faith leaders told RNS the weekend felt like the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some immigrant families hiding at home, avoiding church and stockpiling food to avoid going out in fear of deportation.
(That comparison is particularly ironic when you consider how much time conservatives spent bashing pandemic-era guidelines that discouraged crowded gatherings, including religious ones.)
Elsewhere, some churches have decided to obscure some activities so as not to expose members to the administration’s wrath.
I wrote back in February about Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk’s denunciation of Christian organizations that provide aid to immigrants. Some of those groups, like the United Methodist Church, took such remarks as a warning. Earlier this month, the UMC elected to withhold the names of recipients of more than $160,000 in grants given to “bold ministries” that assist immigrants.
According to Baptist News Global:
The UMC’s Washington, D.C.-based General Commission on Religion and Race, or GCORR, released news of the grants Aug. 7 without specifying either the recipients’ names or the individual amounts given. ... ‘Due to the current sociopolitical climate and the potential risks faced by individuals and organizations engaging in immigration justice work, GCORR has made the intentional decision not to publish the names or locations of grant recipients,’ the release said. ‘This measure ensures the safety, dignity and confidentiality of those leading and participating in this vital ministry.’
Despite its claims about protecting religious liberty and “eradicating anti-Christian bias,” the Trump administration doesn’t seem genuinely concerned about either of those issues.
After all, even some leaders in the MAGA-friendly Southern Baptist Convention have criticized the administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown for trampling on religious liberty and forcing Christians into the shadows. The only Christians that the administration seems concerned about are those who align with its revanchist worldview, and it only seems interested in using the power of the government to intimidate those who don’t.