Immigrants wary of Trump church event

MIAMI — The pastor of a Miami megachurch that will host President Trump at a rally this week is guaranteeing that parishioners who entered the U.S. illegally won’t risk deportation by attending.

During a Sunday Spanish language service, Pastor Guillermo Maldonado told the audience of hundreds that he’s heard people asking how he could bring Trump to the church if those attending include people who lack immigration papers, given the president’s hardline immigration policy.

“I ask you: Do you think I would do something where I would endanger my people? I’m not that dumb,” Maldonado told parishioners.

The Miami Herald reported Maldonado also appealed to congregants who feel apprehensive about attending Trump’s Friday visit to the King Jesus International Ministry church because of his administration’s increased immigration raids.

“I don’t think the president would do such a thing,” Maldonado said. “Don’t put your race or your nationality over being a Christian. Be mature … If you want to come, do it for your pastor. That’s a way of supporting me.”

The church in West Kendall south of Miami was chosen by Trump to host about 70 Christian pastors during an event billed as an “‘Evangelicals for Trump’ Coalition Launch.”

Maldonado asked churchgoers from Venezuela and Cuba to raise their hands, and emphasized his own opposition to communist dictatorships, something Trump has also done at public rallies in Florida as an appeal to Latino voters.

The pastor said the church isn’t organizing or financing the event, and that anyone seeking to attend the campaign rally had to preregister at DonaldJTrump.com.

On Sunday, Secret Service agents examined bags before the services, to prepare for the event.