Two Iranian Christian converts, who came to the U.S. seeking asylum, have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston since December. One of the two men is in imminent danger of being deported to Iran, where his life would likely be in danger.
Houston Public Media is identifying the two men by pseudonyms – Mehran and Amin – in the interest of their safety.
"Mehran was part of a network of Christians who were bringing the Christian faith message, the Gospel, into Iran for a few years out of different countries surrounding Iran," said Blaine Hooper, their pastor at Refuge Church in southwest Houston.
Under the Islamic Republic of Iran's apostasy law, conversion from Islam to Christianity carries severe penalties, up to and including death. Proselytizing Christianity in Iran also can result in the death penalty.
"Both men ... presented themselves at the border under the [Biden] administration and claimed asylum,” Hooper said. “They went to the border and found the first officer they could, as far as I understand, and they went through the legal process of saying, ‘Hey, I’m in fear of persecution for my stance, my faith.' They were vetted at that point, and they later got work authorization, work permits. ... They worked, filed taxes, that kind of thing."
Their cases are examples of increased ICE arrests and deportations under President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to limit immigration and remove people from the country who do not have legal status. Ramped-up enforcement of federal immigration law, even against those who are seeking asylum, has been a key theme of his second term in the White House.
RELATED: How an Afghan man who aided U.S. military forces died in ICE custody in Texas
Hooper said Mehran and Amin were both detained by ICE in December when they presented themselves for routine check-ins related to their asylum process.
"Several times, their lawyers have asked, and reasons were not given for their detention," Hooper said. "As far as I know, they don’t even have a parking ticket."
Both Mehran and Amin are now being held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility, according to the ICE detainee locator website.
Responding to a request from Houston Public Media, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement claiming that both men had crossed into the U.S. illegally — Mehran in 2024 and Amin in 2023 — and been released into the U.S. under the Biden administration.
Mehran’s attorney was not immediately available for comment. Amin’s lawyer, Blake Jenkins, acknowledged that his client had crossed into the U.S. before presenting himself to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, seeking asylum. At the time, however, the first Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait on the other side of the United States’ southern border before presenting themselves for asylum, had been paused by the Biden administration.
The DHS spokesperson also said that Mehran was found removable from the U.S. by an immigration judge in November 2025, the month before he was seized by ICE.
In March, Mehran had his merits hearing, the process at which an immigration judge decides whether an asylum seeker can be released or will have his asylum canceled and can be ordered deported. Hooper said Mehran's hearing was decided in less than 10 minutes.
"The judge ruled to deport him to a country that we’re currently bombing," Hooper said.
RELATED: Iran pushes back against Trump deadline
Hooper said Mehran's attorney is appealing the ruling, but the deadline for Mehran's deportation order is approaching fast.
"We’re just not sure why this is happening to somebody who’s law abiding and has a really clear asylum case," Hooper said. "Deportation to this regime will mean death for him."
Copyright 2026 Houston Public Media News 88.7
