Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

The day life changed for a legal immigrant — and his church

OpinionLauren Efird  |  January 18, 2018

When I looked out into the sanctuary this past Sunday morning, someone was missing. Gilles Bikindou was not sitting in his pew. When he’s there, he is hard to miss, with his little white hat and glasses on. He is also hard to miss because he’s always sitting on the edge of his pew, with a serious look on his face, contemplating every word of my sermon. I fear Gilles will never sit there again.

I’ve never felt so helpless as a pastor as I did on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the day Gilles was unexpectedly detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. As I received the frantic phone call from my associate pastor, Wes, I couldn’t do anything to reverse this horrible course of action. I couldn’t do anything to help a shocked and distraught Wes get back from Charlotte carrying only Gilles’ bag with him. I couldn’t do anything to stop the horrifying set of events that was about to happen that was going to change Gilles’ life.

The first phone call from Gilles was from the York County Detention Center in South Carolina. “Pastor, pastor, I can’t believe they did this to me! That man showed me another side of him, a face I hadn’t seen before.” The ICE officer handling his case had promised that Gilles wouldn’t be detained without warning as long as he continued to cooperate with the legal process. That apparently was not true.

Gilles came to the United States in 2004 from the Republic of Congo on an educational visa. Gilles had witnessed violence and murder in his home country and refused to lie about what he had seen. Because he refused to lie, his country would not pay for his education, so Gilles sought political asylum in 2007. He was denied political asylum, and after reviewing his case with an immigration lawyer in Raleigh, we don’t believe Gilles had adequate representation. Nevertheless, Gilles was living and working in the U.S. legally under an order of supervision that had been renewed every year, until late 2017, for reasons still unknown. But we have suspicions, of course.

Like so many people in our country living under temporary protected statuses, Gilles was abruptly denied something he had held for so long. What makes Gilles’ story so devastating is that he has a life-threatening illness that requires him to be treated by medicine that’s only available in the U.S. and Canada. He had delivered a stay of removal application to the Charlotte ICE office the day he was detained. The application had a note from his doctor about why he needed to stay here to survive. Sean Gallagher, the field office director at ICE in Atlanta, denied his stay of removal within a few hours of it being received. I feel sure Gallagher never read the application.

The next phone call from Gilles was the most harrowing. I had to tell him myself that the stay of removal had already been denied. He screamed in anger and fear: “Do they want me to die?” The anger I had been feeling finally gave way to sadness as I burst into tears with Gilles on the phone. I told Gilles that we would do everything that we could to fight for him. We continue to fight, to pray, to cry out to God, and to beg our government officials to change their minds. We are telling Gilles’ story, trying to make a way where there seems to be no way, trying to do the work of God’s justice in a world bent toward injustice and apathy.

While trying to find the right words for this Sunday’s sermon, I received another phone call from Gilles who had been transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga. He said, “Pastor, pastor, I know you are busy preparing for tomorrow, but I want to make sure that when you go to church in the morning, you tell everyone how grateful I am. I know you all are doing everything that you can to help me, and I know that God will not leave me.” Gilles reminded me to take hope, that God will not leave any of us, that God would sustain us as we try to find justice for Gilles. Gilles inspires me to keep on trying to make the kingdom of God a reality in our broken world.

The last word from Gilles was that he still hadn’t received his medicine. The days continue to go by. His car still sits empty in our church parking lot. His macroeconomics text book can be seen sitting in the back seat, a reminder of the dream he was working toward that may never be fulfilled, the dream of being a coder, of living a better life, of being able to better take care of himself. His car sits there as a reminder that our beloved Gilles — church member, faithful Sunday school participant, friend who prayed and cared for so many in our community — may never come home. His car sits there as a reminder of all the immigrants who’ve come to our country in search of a better life, who’ve been recently detained and deported, whose temporary statuses are being revoked without mercy, who may never come home.

His car sits there and challenges us to work to see that all of God’s children are treated as beloved, to work to see that God’s justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

If you’d like more information about Gilles’ case and how you can help, please visit Greenwood Forest’s Facebook Page.

Related content:

Baptist church fighting deportation of member with dire health concerns

Immigrant advocates unhappy with White House decision to end temporary residency for Salvadorans

Yes, your ancestors probably did come here legally — because ‘illegal’ immigration is less than a century old

82 rabbis, activists arrested On Capitol Hill over DACA protest

Salvadorans at risk of losing immigration status find support in churches


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:detaineddeportedImmigrationimmigrantdeportationTemporary Protected StatusLauren EfirdGilles BikindouICEImmigration and Customs EnforcementYork County Detention CenterRepublic of Congopolitical asylumTPSstay of removalStewart Detention Center
More by
Lauren Efird
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Welcome to Gilead

      Opinion

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      News

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      News

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Evangelist Nick Hall: Christians have become ‘loud about everything but Jesus’

      Evangelist Nick Hall: Christians have become ‘loud about everything but Jesus’

      June 28, 2022
    • Boston city council member walks back tweet about ‘letting the Zionists shake you down’

      Boston city council member walks back tweet about ‘letting the Zionists shake you down’

      June 28, 2022
    • Religious schools may face another hurdle to state tuition

      Religious schools may face another hurdle to state tuition

      June 28, 2022
    • Counting the Cost of Paying Ransoms for Missionaries

      Counting the Cost of Paying Ransoms for Missionaries

      June 28, 2022
    Read Next:

    Two viruses threaten the life of the Southern Baptist Convention: Male hierarchy and dominion theology

    AnalysisEllis Orozco

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Welcome to Gilead

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Dear closeted queer one, Pride is for you

      OpinionAmber Cantorna

    • Daniel Vestal writes of the changing chapters of life and faith

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two viruses threaten the life of the Southern Baptist Convention: Male hierarchy and dominion theology

      AnalysisEllis Orozco

    • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

      OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

    • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

      NewsBNG staff

    • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Maybe seminaries should offer a class in mergers and acquisitions

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Daniel Vestal writes of the changing chapters of life and faith

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

      NewsBNG staff

    • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Conservative clergywoman claims United Methodist system unjust

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • In Africa, inflation and a food crisis threaten not just the economy but people’s lives

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • American support for abortion rights at highest level since 1995, Gallup says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • New platform of Texas GOP is laced with Christian privilege

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Author explores contradiction of evangelical support for prison ministry and tough-on-crime laws at same time

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • One year later, awareness of Juneteenth is growing

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Churches in Russian-occupied sections of Ukraine face desperate conditions

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Welcome to Gilead

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Dear closeted queer one, Pride is for you

      OpinionAmber Cantorna

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

      OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

    • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Seven suggestions for preventing conflict before it happens

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • The gospel according to mammals

      OpinionTyler Tankersley

    • How God used Jay Bakker to teach me about race and loving all people

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents

      OpinionDan McGee and Linda Francis Cross

    • Unzipped: How (not) to commute

      OpinionEric Minton

    • When it comes to leading corporate prayer, are we really all in this together?

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Is America racist at heart?

      OpinionEugene G. Akins III

    • Note to self: Get rid of resting jerkface

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth

      OpinionErica Whitaker

    • Letter to the Editor: The importance of establishing best practices for pastoral searches

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Hymn Stories: ‘Will You Come and Follow Me’

      OpinionBeverly A. Howard

    • A Bubba-Doo’s regular loses a loved one

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • The oxymoron of being both anti-abortion and pro-gun

      OpinionEarl Chappell

    • Evangelist Nick Hall: Christians have become ‘loud about everything but Jesus’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Boston city council member walks back tweet about ‘letting the Zionists shake you down’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Religious schools may face another hurdle to state tuition

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Counting the Cost of Paying Ransoms for Missionaries

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Worshippers at Baptist church in Nigeria abducted

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden administration proposes protections for transgender students and against sexual violence in schools

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Columbia Theological Seminary students object to firing of Black administrator

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope orders online release of WWII-era Pius XII Jewish files

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Demolishing schools after a mass shooting reflects humans’ deep-rooted desire for purification rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Has American conservatism abandoned the Christian right?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In Colorado, a GOP rarity: An abortion rights candidate

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A church was ordered to rescind its gay deacon. Now it weighs its next step.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Can the Church Still Enact Justice When a Pastor Sues His Accusers?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Republican Lauren Boebert jokes about AR-15s and Jesus — and yes, she’s a ‘real’ Christian

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • This World Refugee Day, rising white nationalism meets the largest refugee population in history — which is no coincidence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How evangelical Christians are sizing up the 2024 GOP race for president

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Abortion bill, confederate holiday removal signed by Edwards

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Buddhist leader in Bhutan fully ordains 144 women, resuming ancient tradition

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Banning Nancy Pelosi from Communion May Have Backfired

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How Franklin Graham pushed a domestic abuse victim to return to her husband

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Poor People’s Campaign holds major DC rally to combat poverty

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • An Elite Christian College Has Become The Latest Battleground In America’s Culture Wars

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Camino pilgrims help rural Spain’s emptying villages survive

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS