A West LA pastor is speaking out after members of his congregation were taken by federal agents Tuesday, one of whom experienced a medical emergency while being detained.
Ara Tororsian says that as he watched federal agents take members of his church, it reminded him of the terror he experienced growing up in Iran.
“In one moment, I felt that I’m in the street of Tehran, under fear, under dictatorship,” said Tororsian, pastor at Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles.
Because his congregation, many of whom are members of the Iranian community, are now fearful, he made the difficult decision to cancel church service.
“With lots of pain, I called them and said, ‘Please don’t come to the church,'” said Tororsian. “I will miss them, and hopefully I can hug them and love them and preach for them again.”
During Tuesday’s operation, an Iranian woman experienced a severe panic attack after she witnessed her husband’s arrest. The woman called her pastor, Torosian, to help intervene, but he could do little as he watched her panic attack escalate into convulsions.
Tororsian says the couple are asylum seekers and fled Iran partially because they were being persecuted for their Christian faith. The two have no family in Los Angeles, so their first instinct was to call their pastor.
The Department of Homeland Security posted about the incident on social media, stating that the couple was flagged as subjects of national security interest
“When one experienced a medical emergency, agents immediately contacted EMS and escorted her to the hospital. Agent presence at the hospital was solely to guard the subject receiving medical care—a standard procedure when an individual in the country illegally requires medical attention. The female has since been discharged and both individuals are now in ERO custody,” wrote DHS on X.
The pastor says the agents told them they had a warrant to detain the couple but never produced one when he asked to see it. He says the couple has no criminal background and has attended his church for more than a year.
Tororsian adds that a total of five people from his congregation have been taken by federal agents this week, including a family with a 3-year-old daughter.