“We Love This Nation . . .”
Approximately one-fourth of CRC congregations are made up primarily of ethnic groups who identify as recent immigrants. We are sharing some of their stories to help paint a picture of what is happening today in the face of recent immigration changes and enforcement policies. The series has included stories from Texas, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. This week’s story is from Fontana, California.
Rev. Harold Caicedo, president of the CRC’s Consejo Latino and pastor of Iglesia Cristiana El Sembrador CRC in Fontana, Calif., said the current immigration climate in the United States is having a profound impact on Latino churches across the country, including his own congregation.
“Our congregation has seen a decline in attendance as these issues have intensified,” Caicedo said. Many members of the church have lived in the United States for years and are firmly rooted in their communities, he said.
Caicedo explained that many families in the church have built stable lives in the U.S., owning homes, operating businesses, and raising children. For example, one church member is a former pastor who previously served in the Reformed Church in America. He has lived in the United States for more than 20 years and owns a company with 15 employees. Recent immigration pressures have forced him and his wife to decide who would stay at home when one of them needed to go out for shopping, work, and other regular activities; they feared that going out together could result in both of them being deported. Eventually, that fear kept them from attending church services.
“These are excellent people,” Caicedo explained. “They are homeowners and property owners, yet they have been deeply affected by what is happening.”
He added that fear and uncertainty have shaped daily life for many families, particularly during periods of unrest in southern California. Some have arrived at church gatherings hesitant and withdrawn, unsure of what might happen next. Caicedo shared the story of another family—a mother, father, and two children, who suddenly disappeared from contact for four months.
“We had no way of reaching them,” he said. “A few weeks ago, we finally heard from the family and learned of their decision to return to Mexico.” He described the situation as tragic, emphasizing that they were honest and hardworking.
“Much of this fear,” Caicedo said, “is fueled by harmful stereotyping. . . . Latinos are being labeled as criminals, and that creates a very painful public narrative.”
Caicedo earned M.Div. and D.Min. degrees at Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Drawing from this background, he explained how profiling and repeated messaging can manipulate public perception.
“When people constantly see images of heavily tattooed gang members paired with the word ‘immigrant,’ followed by messages saying, ‘If you don’t have papers, get out,’ it reshapes how society thinks,” he said. “That repetition leads people to reject immigrants altogether.”
Those portrayals, Caicedo added, do not reflect reality. “The vast majority of our people contribute to the economy, live responsibly, and care deeply about their communities,” he said. “Yet racial targeting continues.”
Caicedo spoke with deep gratitude for the United States and emphasized his love for the country.
“We love this nation,” he said. “We also want it to be a place of justice and truth, and we do not want people to harm our country.”
He acknowledged the pain many feel when entire communities are reduced to harmful stereotypes that attack their humanity.
Caicedo described the current situation in the U.S. as a form of persecution that goes beyond what many have expected. “It has exceeded what should be fair or appropriate regulations,” he said. “It begins with a false idea that these people being deported are criminals—and once that label is applied, everything that follows reinforces the persecution.”
As someone who has traveled extensively and worked with Latino pastors and immigrant communities across the country, Caicedo said he knows firsthand who his people are. “They are men and women seeking the best for their families and their communities,” he said. “Being defined through a distorted lens is deeply painful.”
He pointed to Scripture and the nation’s history as reminders that migration and immigration are not new. “From Israel in Egypt to their journey into Canaan, migration has always been part of God’s story,” Caicedo said. “The United States itself is a nation of immigrants, and God is the owner of every nation.”
Caicedo emphasized that immigrants who love this country want to contribute positively. “When cultures connect, richness emerges,” he said. “Different cultural expressions strengthen the global church. Culture is part of God’s creation.”
Rejecting people based on stereotypes, he added, causes communities to miss out on the beauty and unity God intends. “Instead of discovering what unites us, we allow fear to divide us,” he said.
He noted that immigrants already face significant challenges, including learning a new culture, mastering a new language, and adapting to unfamiliar systems and laws. And Latino pastors often serve as bivocational, bicultural, and bilingual leaders, he said.
“Despite all of this,” Caicedo said, “we are still labeled as harmful, even though only a very small percentage of Hispanic immigrants commit crimes.”
From a biblical perspective, Caicedo said, he believes the church is called to something greater. “We must seek the richness God gives us and refuse to divide by race,” he said, pointing to Revelation 7:9, which describes people of every nation and language gathered together before God’s throne.
At the heart of his message is love. “God calls all of us, regardless of ethnicity, to love our neighbor,” Caicedo said. “If love only applies to people who are like us, then it is not biblical love.”
Caicedo recalled leading a multiethnic conference years ago and ending with a challenging question: “You say you love me; you say you care about me. But at the end of the day, am I welcome in your home?” He said the answer reveals whether a person’s love is genuine.
Looking ahead, Caicedo said, he believes much of the harm being done today stems from false profiling. “If we change that profile,” he said, “we will discover the good that already exists.”
He concluded with a prayer for the denomination: “My prayer is that we would be a church where the love of God prevails. That we would love one another beyond our differences and truly represent the kingdom of heaven.”
