Hispanic Pentecostal Leaders Win Temporary Stay for 170,000 Salvadoran TPS Holders
A coalition of 50 Hispanic Pentecostal bishops traveled to Washington on September 8 to urge the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status for roughly 170,000 Salvadoran immigrants. Federal officials said Salvadorans would retain protection temporarily while the administration determines its next steps.
On September 8, 2026, approximately 50 Hispanic Pentecostal bishops and denominational leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., one day before the scheduled expiration of Temporary Protected Status for roughly 170,000 Salvadoran immigrants.
The leaders represent the Confraternity of Pentecostal Entities of the Americas, known as CEPA, a coalition of 21,000 congregations across 36 states. They pressed the Trump administration to extend TPS for a minimum of two years and to reinstate protections for Haitian immigrants as well.
Bishop Angel Marcial, president of CEPA, described the gathering as a necessary "prophetic voice." The leaders framed their advocacy as pastoral work rather than partisan politics, citing the suffering within their congregations. CEPA reported that 19 of their pastors and nearly 200 church members had been detained or deported in 2026.
Jacqueline Fuentes spoke at the event to advocate for her father, Pastor Marco Antonio Fuentes Cruz, who was among those detained. The leaders also called for churches, schools, and hospitals to be treated as sensitive locations protected from immigration enforcement.
The coalition invoked biblical principles, arguing that while they support border security and the rule of law, current enforcement was harming hardworking immigrants, parents, and church members. Some leaders said they felt "misled" by the administration's focus on non-criminal deportations.
Following the pressure from religious leaders, federal officials indicated that Salvadoran TPS holders would retain protection for the time being while the administration considers its next steps. The official expiration date had been September 9, 2026.
