Deportation Fears Empty Church of Pentecost In Ohio

A Church of Pentecost branch in North Columbus, United States, is experiencing drastically reduced attendance as Ghanaian members fear deportation back to Ghana.

A video that has gone viral on X (previously Twitter) shows the Ohio church’s parking lot mostly deserted, which reflects the mounting fear brought on by the country’s ongoing wave of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. After Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20th, these deportations started in January 2025.

Samuel Koomson, district pastor of the Church of Pentecost USA Inc., North Columbus, Jehovah-Jireh Temple, said that around half of his flock is now remaining at home because they are too afraid to attend church for fear of being arrested and deported.

“Seeing that the state provides us with food to give to them hurts. People who aren’t even part of the community would come and eat. He bemoaned the impact on the community, saying, “Now, we put the food out there, but they are not even coming.”

Trump’s Deportation Policy

The current situation stems from a policy shift implemented on January 23, 2025, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began conducting raids in sanctuary cities, leading to the detention and deportation of hundreds of undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration overturned previous policies, granting ICE authorization to conduct raids at schools, hospitals, and even places of worship.

Related To This: 9 Strong Reforms Trump Implemented On His First Day In Office

Following his victory in the 2024 United States presidential election, Trump declared that he had “no choice” but to initiate mass deportations upon assuming office in 2025.

Justifying the policy, Trump stated, “When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, they’re going back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”

Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump (January 2017 to June 2018), has vowed to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen” in 2025.

In November 2024, Homan further proposed cutting federal funding from states that do not comply with deportation plans, signaling a hardline approach to immigration enforcement.