Texas pastor shoved by ICE agents while driving daughter to school, later deported
Apr 4, 2025·Location: TX

Adolfo Gutiérrez, an undocumented volunteer pastor who led the Spanish-speaking Casa Firme church in south Texas and ran a home remodeling business, was detained by ICE agents on March 18, 2025 while driving his daughters to school. His daughter Alondra said agents slammed him against his car door and took him away in a van without explanation. Gutiérrez, who had lived in Texas more than 15 years and was a father of three, was held at the El Valle Detention Facility near the border. His wife Eva Jasso started a GoFundMe to cover attorney fees, and his church held a fundraiser for his legal expenses as family, church members, and business clients rallied support. His family said he 'pays taxes and works hard.' He was later deported, and his case was identified in a Newsweek analysis of at least 65 faith leaders detained by U.S. immigration authorities since January 2025.
Timeline
Sources
Related incidents
- Pastor deported to Haiti after traffic stop, despite pending green card caseOct 12, 2026 · York, PA
- Detained 27 months, Russian asylum seeker deported after leading hunger strike over conditionsOct 11, 2026 · Folkston, GA
- Mother handcuffed in front of her kids by ICE, deported to Mexico, now suingOct 11, 2026 · New Haven, CT
- Gay Arizona man deported to Equatorial Guinea, beaten and jailed, later freed after judge's orderOct 9, 2026 · Tucson, AZ
- Men detained in Dover, NJ raid held at Roxbury warehouse; one deported to HondurasOct 8, 2026 · Dover, NJ
- US deported 500+ people to third-country African nations despite torture, persecution risksOct 8, 2026