Pastor Ara Torosian’s video of masked federal agents detaining Iranian Christians in Los Angeles is a gut‑punch to every American who believes in religious liberty and the rule of law. What began as a desperate plea from a pastor watching his flock seized at immigration appointments has become hard evidence that the brave souls who fled Iran’s theocracy are now terrified on American soil.
The footage shows agents surrounding a couple and a child while the wife goes into what the pastor describes as a panic attack — a haunting scene that reminded Torosian of the terror he escaped in Tehran. Officials have said some of those arrested were flagged as “subjects of national security interest,” but the optics of masked officers hauling away asylum seekers who worship in house churches is a moral crisis.
Torosian himself is no anonymous activist — he is an Iran‑born pastor who came to this country as a refugee and now leads Cornerstone Church in West LA, where several congregants have been targeted in recent enforcement actions. He canceled services to protect his people and has publicly begged for mercy and clarity from authorities while continuing to minister to those who fled persecution for their faith.
Meanwhile, the underground house churches that once met in basements in Tehran are under brutal pressure from the Islamic regime, and many Iranians who converted to Christianity face prison, torture, or worse if returned. That history of persecution explains why these families risk everything to come here, and it should make any decent American ask hard questions when our own system appears to treat them like suspects first and victims second.
Let’s be clear: enforcing our laws is not un-American, but justice without judgement and transparency becomes cruelty. The Biden administration and DHS owe the American people answers about how nationals fleeing religious persecution ended up detained in such fearsome circumstances, and conservatives must demand that enforcement include protections for bona fide refugees who came here to worship freely.
This is a moment for patriots to stand with persecuted Christians and with the pastors who risk everything to shepherd them. We can support strong borders and also insist our government live up to the promise of America as a refuge for the oppressed, not a place where masked agents recreate the scenes of foreign tyrants.
Americans should pressure Congress to hold hearings, demand transparency from DHS, and ensure that our asylum system genuinely protects religious refugees instead of treating them like interchangeable security cases. Pastor Torosian’s cry is our call to action — defend religious liberty, uphold due process, and never allow the land of the free to look like the streets of Tehran.
