'Show compassion': Faith leaders beg Trump to stop his Easter purge of Christian refugees

Faith leaders are imploring President Donald Trump to reconsider as his administration moves to order the "self-deportation" of Afghan Christians who fled to the United States to escape the Taliban, Fox News reported on Friday evening — particularly because the order came down right around Easter, one of the most holy holidays of the Christian faith.

Already, the president has overseen mass deportations that caught up some asylum seekers from Afghanistan who would face imprisonment or death by the extremists running the theocratic Taliban regime. This new move places many thousands more in jeopardy.

"On April 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would terminate humanitarian parole for Afghan nationals, effectively ordering thousands to leave the U.S. within days," said the report. "Though early reporting referred to the change as ending temporary protected status (TPS), internal DHS notifications confirm the affected Afghans were in fact under humanitarian parole. The mislabeling was repeated by media outlets and DHS but has since been corrected in official memos from advocacy groups."

Up to 9,000 paroled Afghans waiting for either an asylum hearing or a special immigrant visa, or SIV, could be affected.

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A coalition of faith leaders is now urging Trump to have mercy and at least institute a 90-day pause to give them options to protect themselves or settle their immigration status legally.

"We believe all 9,000 could face persecution upon return to the Taliban, but we are particularly concerned about a group of hundreds of Christians who we believe will face an immediate threat of torture or death," said a message from the coalition, which also sent the letter to Vice President JD Vance, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and some leaders in Congress.

Enduring Hope Alliance, or EHA, a group of churches and faith-based groups, said of the situation, "This is a moment for the administration to show compassion and leadership."

A large number of Christian denominations preach mercy and acceptance for immigrants. Trump often aligns himself with evangelical faith leaders, but he has at times responded critically to Christian groups, such as Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Washington National Cathedral, when they call on him to support immigrants or emphasize compassion.