New Jersey Pastor Detained by ICE During Holy Week, Held Without Bible for Days

A Colombian-born pastor with no criminal record is spending Holy Week inside a New Jersey immigration detention center, separated from his wife and three daughters — and for nearly a week, he wasn't even allowed to have a Bible. The case has drawn national attention from religious leaders who say it raises serious questions about how the government treats people of faith during the immigration enforcement process.

Yeison Cortes Vasquez, 46, leads The Gathering Place Church in New Jersey. He has lived in the United States for more than a decade. On March 20, ICE agents stopped him while he was working a delivery route in Newark. He has been held at Delaney Hall Detention Center ever since. His family says he has an active asylum case pending and that he has never been arrested or charged with any crime.

A Family Left Behind

Back home, Cortes Vasquez's wife and three daughters are struggling with his sudden absence. The emotional toll on his children has been especially visible. "His daughters are shaken up," said Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. "One of them doesn't want to eat. She's losing her appetite."

Church members and faith leaders say Cortes Vasquez has spent years showing up for others in their hardest moments. "Pastor Yeison has walked with our people through their hardest moments — praying with families, lifting up the broken, and pointing us to Christ," said Reverend Enid Almanzar, Chairwoman of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

Denied a Bible for Nearly a Week

Even while detained, Cortes Vasquez has reportedly continued ministering to fellow detainees, offering support and comfort to those around him. But for close to a week, he did so without access to a Bible. When church leaders tried to deliver one to him at the facility, their attempt was turned away. He was eventually able to obtain a copy through the detention center's internal purchasing system.

For members of his congregation and the broader Christian community, that detail has been particularly difficult to process. "To know that he was denied access to a Bible for nearly a week, especially as we enter Holy Week, is deeply painful and troubling for our entire church family," said Rev. Almanzar. "We are holding fast to our faith while calling for compassion, dignity, and the protection of our most fundamental freedoms for citizens and immigrants alike — especially our right to worship without government interference."

Holy Week, which leads up to Easter Sunday, is one of the most significant periods in the Christian calendar. For faith leaders, the timing of Cortes Vasquez's detention adds a layer of concern to an already emotional situation. "The moral decline of beginning to detain ministers during Holy Week is heartbreaking," said Rev. Dr. Salguero.

The National Latino Evangelical Coalition announced it will hold a press conference outside the Newark detention facility on Thursday, calling for Cortes Vasquez's release and urging officials to consider both his legal standing and his role in the community.