- Federal agents arrested two Mexican pastors at McAllen International Airport while they traveled to a marriage retreat.
- DHS officials claim the couple’s religious visas expired in July twenty twenty-two despite church assertions of validity.
- The pastors alleged that agents threatened family separation to force the signing of voluntary departure documents.
Federal immigration agents arrested Nepthali Zozaya Saucedo and Cinthia Sarai Cardona Otero, two Mexican pastors traveling on religious visas, at McAllen International Airport on July 23, 2026. The couple was heading to a marriage retreat organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in North Carolina.
Both pastors serve as assistant pastors at Comunidad Cristiana Emanuel, an Assemblies of God congregation in Edinburg, Texas. They entered the United States on R-1 religious worker visas, while church leaders maintain that those documents remained valid.
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The Department of Homeland Security disputes that account. A spokesperson said Cardona was arrested Thursday and Zozaya on Friday, describing the couple as visa overstayers whose documents expired on July 7, 2022.
Church leaders say agents took both pastors together Thursday morning. The couple was released Saturday, July 25, 2026.
They now remain in immigration court under Alternatives to Detention. DHS requires each pastor to report in person to the Harlingen Field Office in six months and call once a month while a Department of Justice immigration judge hears the case.
The pastors say agents threatened separation from their children
Zozaya and Cardona have three U.S.-citizen children. During a phone call from detention, Zozaya alleged that agents threatened to separate the family unless the pastors signed “voluntary departure” papers.
The allegation prompted demands for an investigation. Sandy Ovalle, a board member of the Latino Christian National Network, called for the couple’s release and protection of their due process rights at a press conference.
“We are calling for their immediate release, the protection of their due process rights, and an urgent oversight into ICE’s conduct. No one should be pressured to give up their rights under the threat of losing their children.”
Cardona later described the experience at a Sunday worship service as a “terror campaign” intended to traumatize neighbors.
The pastors’ legal team says they followed every rule of the religious visa program and were seeking permanent residency. Their claims will be considered in immigration court.
DHS says the case followed expired visas
DHS said the couple entered the country on February 27, 2022. The department says their visas expired on July 7, 2022, and that they remained in the United States afterward.
That explanation conflicts with advocates’ assertion that the couple held valid R-1 documents. It also differs from church leaders’ account of a single airport arrest on July 23.
Juan Agudelo, director of the ICE Harlingen Field Office, said the enforcement mission focuses on “restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system” and removing “criminal illegal aliens” to protect communities.
Release did not end the case. The immigration judge will consider the pastors’ visa and residency claims as the proceedings continue.
South Texas faith leaders protest a wider enforcement shift
The arrests came amid a broader increase in immigration enforcement. The agency recorded 43,138 arrests in June 2026, and the campaign produced more than 590,600 deportations since January 2025.
In January 2025, the administration rescinded guidelines that required additional authority for enforcement at religious sites. The previous “sensitive locations” policy discouraged arrests at churches, schools and hospitals.
Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol’s “commander-at-large,” has advocated a “turn and burn” approach intended to maximize arrests. Religious leaders have linked the pastors’ case to other arrests involving faith figures.
Pastor Yeison Cortes Vasquez was arrested in New Jersey in March 2026. Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a nun, was detained in McAllen in June 2026 while walking to Mass.
The response has crossed party lines. Representative Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican, joined Representatives Adriano Espaillat of New York and Rob Menendez of New Jersey in questioning enforcement against community members described as having no criminal records.
The church pressed its case on July 27
Faith leaders at Comunidad Cristiana Emanuel held a press conference and worship service on July 27, 2026. They urged Christians to oppose what they called “unjust” detentions.
The pastors must continue monthly phone check-ins and attend the six-month in-person appointment at the Harlingen Field Office. A Justice Department immigration judge will hear the case.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
