Full Breakdown
Hispanic Pentecostal Leaders Urge Extension of TPS for Salvadorans
9/10/2026, 3:47:37 AM
Pentecostal Leaders Petition Trump Administration on TPS for El Salvador
On Tuesday, pastors and bishops from the Confraternity of Pentecostal Entities of the Americas (CEPA) convened at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill to ask the Trump administration to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for El Salvador, which is set to expire the following day. The press conference, conducted primarily in Spanish, highlighted the detention of Pentecostal pastors by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and called for “humane and accountable treatment” of immigrants.
Background on Temporary Protected Status
TPS for El Salvador was first granted in 2001 and currently protects more than 170,000 Salvadoran residents, allowing them legal status and work authorization. CEPA warned that the imminent termination of the designation would strip those protections and affect an estimated 150,000 U.S. citizens who are children of TPS holders.
Key Figures in the Advocacy
- Bishop Ángel Marcial – Leader in the Cleveland, Tennessee-based Church of God and president of CEPA.
- Bishop José Martínez Rincón – Pastor of Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, M.I., who asserted that ICE’s enforcement targets people “because of their face.”
- Jacqueline Fuentes – English-language speaker whose father, Pastor Marco Antonio Fuentes Cruz, was recently detained in Indiana.
- Bishop Juan García – Director of Hispanic ministries for the Church of God, who requested a minimum two-year TPS extension for El Salvador and restoration for Haiti.
Official Statements & Requests
CEPA’s leaders framed their appeal as pastoral rather than political, emphasizing “the language of mercy” that unites their community. Bishop Marcial said the group seeks “prophetic voice” to address the “emotional status” of Salvadoran families facing loss of status. Bishop Rincón claimed that the majority of those deported are Hispanic, suggesting racial profiling in enforcement. Jacqueline Fuentes argued that undocumented immigrants “pay taxes” and should not be treated as a burden. Bishop García urged “immediate action” to restore TPS for Haiti and extend it for El Salvador for at least two years, stressing the need to protect churches, schools, hospitals, and families from “unnecessary separation” and “indiscriminate detentions.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “We all speak the language of mercy. That's what precisely unites us,” — Marcial, a leader in the Cleveland, Tennessee-based Church of God
These statements illustrate the coalition’s call for a balance between border security and compassionate treatment of immigrant families, urging the administration to act before the TPS deadline.
