A pastor in Los Angeles, California, says members of his Iranian Christian congregation were detained by federal agents, including a couple seeking asylum. One of the women arrested suffered a medical emergency during the incident.
Five members of the congregation were taken into custody over the past week, including a husband, wife and their 3-year-old daughter, NBC Los Angeles reported, quoting Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone Church in West LA.
The pastor, who fled Iran years ago due to religious persecution, said witnessing the arrests was traumatic and reminded him of the repression he faced growing up.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
The incident involving a second couple was captured on cellphone video as federal agents detained them outside their home. The woman, identified only as Marjan, reportedly suffered a panic attack as she watched her husband being taken away.
Torosian said she called him during the arrest, and he rushed to the scene, where he found her convulsing on the ground.
“She’s sick, she’s bad, call 911!” Torosian is heard shouting in the video, pleading with agents to allow her to receive medical help. Emergency services eventually arrived, and she was transported to the UCLA Medical Center by ambulance.
Federal agents stood guard outside her hospital room and denied Torosian and others entry when they asked to pray with her, KABC reported.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest of the couple, describing them as “two Iranian nationals unlawfully present in the U.S. — both flagged as subjects of national security interest,” according to Fox11.
In a statement posted on social media, DHS said, “When one experienced a medical emergency, agents immediately contacted EMS and escorted her to the hospital. … The female has since been discharged and both individuals are now in ERO custody.”
Torosian, who is a U.S. citizen, said he asked agents at the scene if they had a warrant for the couple’s arrest. “They said yes, but they didn’t show me anything,” he told KABC. The pastor added that the couple had Social Security numbers, work permits, no criminal records and had been attending his church for more than a year.
The pastor described the arrests as deeply distressing, both personally and for his congregation. “In one moment, I felt that I’m in the street of Tehran, under fear, under dictatorship,” he told NBC Los Angeles. “They came here for freedom, not like this.”
Torosian said Marjan and her husband fled Iran because of their Christian faith and had no relatives in Los Angeles. “They are asylum seekers,” he said, adding that the couple had entered the U.S. through the CBP One process.
He said that the agents claimed the couple’s status was “no longer valid.”
In the video, Torosian is heard confronting agents, saying, “You all guys came for one person?” He continued, “There’s an army here,” and asked, “Have you read the news what’s happened in Iran for women? They came here for freedom, not like this.”
He also pleaded with the agents to let him accompany the detained individuals. “Can you take me with them? They need me,” he said. An officer responded, “You can stay there and you can record, but you can’t go with us.”
“You’re so cruel,” he told them. “I know you’re just doing your job, but shame on you. Shame on this government.”
Following the arrests, Torosian canceled Sunday service, telling congregants not to come due to safety concerns. “I will miss them, and hopefully I can hug them and love them and preach for them again.”
Torosian said he is trying to forgive the agents involved, but remains disturbed by the government’s actions.
