A Christian pastor is speaking out after claiming federal agents detained Iranian-born members of his congregation.
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Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone Church in West LA, spoke with CBN News about the incidents, which unfolded last month and reportedly included authorities detaining an Iranian couple with their 3-year-old child; the family is reportedly seeking asylum.
Torosian, a legal citizen who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Iran in 2010, said he believes immigrants and those coming to the U.S. as refugees must “respect the law” — a lesson he imparts to his parishioners.
However, he said the recent detainments he witnessed left him stunned.
“A family member of our church came to me and said, ‘We have [an] appointment tomorrow at immigration federal building in downtown Los Angeles. Shall we go or not?’” he recalled. “As a pastor … I teach them … you have to respect the law. You have to follow the rules and everything, and respect and to be a good citizen from [the] beginning of your arrival in the U.S.”
So, the couple brought their 3-year-old child with them to the office building, where he said they were detained. Once made aware of the situation, Torosian said he arrived at the site as quickly as possible, but was unable to assist:
“I was very devastated to see,” he said, noting the family, who reportedly arrived in America in Oct. 2024, are “Christian asylum seekers.” He said they have paperwork and have followed the rules, leaving him perplexed as to what unfolded.
“Usually, they go to kind of update their address, and that’s the process of showing themself in the office to see what they’re doing … following paperwork and signatures that they are here,” Torosian said of the typical visits to ICE that unfold. “That’s a regular for asylum seekers. They have the document and they’re waiting for the court day and follow-up things.”
He said the wife was part of the underground Christian church in Iran and that they came to the U.S. to escape and find religious liberty.
At the time of Torosian’s conversation with CBN News last week, he was unsure what would happen to the couple and if deportation would unfold. A follow-up email seeking an update has yet to yield a response.
Fears have surrounded Iranians’ detainment in recent weeks amid increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran. While people cannot currently be reported to Iran due to diplomatic hurdles, the Associated Press reported some Iranians have been sent to other nations — something Torosian also claimed.
“Some Iranians, they got deported to Panama,” Torosian said. “So it is very unknown and we really are concerned about the safety and security and also their life.”
The pastor repeatedly stated his respect for the law and explained the complexities for people coming to the U.S. border as Iranian refugees.
“I’m trying to be [a] voice for Iranian refugees,” he said. “There’s thousands of Iranian refugees around the world that are waiting, especially in Turkey and in U.S.”
Torosian came to America through the Lautenberg Program, an initiative aimed at resettling religious minorities. But he said it has since become more complex and difficult for Iranians looking for reprieve in America, leading some — like the couple in question — to purportedly come illegally and then announce at the border that they are asylum seekers.
An email to the Department of Homeland Security requesting information on this story and comment has not yet been returned to CBN News.
Stories similar to what Torosian discussed have been emerging in the media. One recent case surrounded Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian, 64, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month while gardening in her yard.
Kashanian has been in the U.S. for 47 years and is married to a U.S. citizen. She came to America in 1978 on a student visa but wasn’t granted asylum. Her attorney claims she was permitted to stay so long as she checked in with immigration officials each year — something with which she purportedly complied.
She was reportedly released by ICE detention after Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise got involved and advocated her case.
Immigration remains a highly debated and divisive issue, with other cases making headlines. Maurilio Ambrocio, a pastor of a small Hispanic church in Florida, was recently deported to Guatemala after being brought to the U.S. illegally as a teen.
The married father of five was reportedly arrested in mid-April during a routine check-in with ICE in Tampa. He was said to be allowed to stay in the U.S. due to a stay of removal and met with officials annually for more than two decades until his detainment. Read more here.
