Â鶹´«Ã½

Espinal was getting ready to enjoy his McDonalds breakfast when he was pulled over by an unmarked car on state Route 322 near Moton Park around 8 a.m.

Not only has Espinal been taken from his wife and three children, but also his congregation of 80. The parishioners currently aren’t meeting out of fear the same will happen to them.

“You know, the members of the congregation believe, and rightfully so, that if this could happen to somebody with Pastor Fuentes Espinal’s stature and position within the community, then nobody’s safe,� said Len Foxwell, a close family friend of Espinal’s.

The Rt. Rev. Joel Marcus Johnson, a bishop from Easton, said canceling services now is wise.

�It’s wise on their part, I think because we know that ICE would be showing up,� Johnson said.

Johnson knows this because he lived it in 1994 when U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services — the precursor to ICE — showed up to one of his Spanish services at a storefront chapel in Easton.

Johnson, clergy and the congregation came up with a plan where the undocumented immigrants went out the back door and those with green cards or citizenship went out the front.

�It really, really angered INS,� Johnson said.

Johnson said arresting high-ranking members of the church is a targeted approach that is not new.

�It’s one of the tried and true methods for dispiriting or deflating the hearts of these communities,� he said.

Matthew Peters, executive director of the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, said he is not aware of any recent ICE arrests in churches on the Mid-Shore, but due to uncertain policy changes, fear is widespread.

COMMUNITY RALLIESEspinal was detained by two U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents and taken to the Salisbury Field Office. He was quickly transferred to the Baltimore ICE detention center, where he remained for three nights. On Thursday, Espinal was transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana, where he will stay until his hearing, which has not been scheduled yet.

Espinal has been in the U.S. since 2001, has no criminal record and has been attempting to secure citizenship legally for years. He has been described as a pillar of the community. A GoFundMe created by Foxwell has raised over $44,000 to cover attorney’s fees and other expenses.

ICE said in a statement to the Star Democrat that Espinal was arrested for overstaying his six-month visa.

“Daniel Omar Fuentes Espinal is an illegal alien from Honduras who was arrested by ICE on July 21, in Easton, Maryland,� the statement said. “Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years. It is a federal crime to overstay the authorized period of time granted under a visitors visa.�

Community members, religious leaders and politicians have rallied behind Espinal, holding protests in both Easton and Baltimore since his arrest. On Friday, over 150 people showed up to support Espinal with a rally on U.S. Route 50 in Easton.

According to Foxwell, around 300 people showed up to a rally in Baltimore on Monday. He said he was nervous that people wouldn’t turn out because they don’t know Espinal, but that was not the case.

“I didn’t know if we would be playing to an empty McKeldin Square, but the place was full,� Foxwell said.

The rally began with a march from the square to the Fallon Courthouse, the site of the temporary ICE detention center where Espinal was held before being transferred to Louisiana.

Another rally for Pastor Espinal will be held in Easton Friday, Aug. 1, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Dover Street and Route 50. The rally will be hosted by the Talbot County Democratic Forum and the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee.