Bring Erwin Home
On Sunday, May 6th, Pastor Erwin Alvarado was detained by the department of Immigration Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE. The Pastor was on his way to run an errand before Church when 7 ICE officers barricaded a public road to arrest Erwin.
He was placed in the Yuba County Jail in Marysville, CA, until he was deported on Wednesday, May 9th.
They had no shame arresting him on a Sunday morning.
Despite our strongest efforts to retain Erwin in the country in the days after his arrest, we were unable to convince the Department of Homeland Security to allow Erwin to remain in the United States. Erwin’s 25 years of active ministry, his outstanding contribution to the community and his present health struggles were overlooked by the leadership of the Immigration Customs Enforcement office in Sacramento.
Erwin is a beloved Pastor, Husband and Father. Although deeply disappointed by ICE’s decision, we stand stronger than ever. He leaves behind a small trucking business, a local Church with a Hispanic congregation of 75 members and his loving family of three. Although separated, we are certainly not broken, and we are committed to bringing Erwin back.
In the last few days we have received countless phone calls, texts, and gifts from friends and family. We’ve also received a sincere desire on behalf of many, to assist financially. Although we initially resisted accepting this type of support, we recognize now, that it is a blessing to give, and a blessing to receive.
We are directing all giving proceeds towards three key areas of need:
1. Immigration attorney costs for bringing Erwin back
2. An emergency fund for us to assist Erwin while he is in Guatemala
3. A relief fund to help us stabilize Erwin’s business.
We are incredibly thankful for all of your love and support. Stay tuned for video updates, messages from Pastor Erwin and video testimonies on this GoFundMe page, as God glorifies himself through this situation.
Please remember to share our fundraiser with anyone who may want to support Erwin during this time by sending them a link to our GoFundMe Page: https://www.gofundme.com/bring-erwin-home
We love you, and look forward to seeing what God is going to do.
Let's bring Erwin home!
- Jonathan and David
