Mormon Latinos seek support from the LDS Church on immigration

On a recent Sunday morning in Provo, Utah, a small congregation of about two dozen people gathered in a church hall for ward services. At the front of the room stood the bishop, who blessed the bread and water in Spanish before distributing the trays to the congregation. The melodious sounds of the piano echoed through the room as members sang “Welcome Home,” a new hymn for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ward services like this brought a consistent sense of comfort and community to Izzy, who came to Provo several years ago to study at Brigham Young University. But the recent increased possibility of ICE raids across the country has made him uneasy.

“I couldn’t focus. Just momentary anxiety and fear. I was worried about my family and how I was going to get through this year or the next four or three years,” Izzy said. The prospect of an ICE hiring fair nearby also bothered him.

As a toddler, Izzy and her family came to the United States from Venezuela in search of a better life. Then one Christmas, Mormon missionaries brought gifts to their home in the West Valley. He and his family were sealed in Utah. Years ago, he was accepted into DACA’s Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program.

For many Latino members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an ambivalent understanding of the Church’s attitude toward immigrants. There is discontent with how openly the church has been in condemning ongoing ICE raids. Catholic leaders for example, others are focused on providing individual assistance to those in need.

The church had previously made statements about immigration. 2011 And 2018 It’s about family separation at the US-Mexico border. But most of it final statement Three points were listed in order in the report published in January. Although it read similarly to past statements about loving thy neighbor and keeping families together, this time the first point focused specifically on “obeying the law.”

Church declined to comment when contacted by The Times to ask why the new statement was numbered in this order.

D., a regional leader and professor of history at BYU who studies Latino civil rights and immigration. David-James Gonzales states that the political climate has changed regarding immigration in 2025.

“This issue is one of the most polarizing issues across the country and has divided the Church,” he said, adding that it was fair to question the way the statement was written. “If I analyze it as a historian, I say that by now the Church should have made it clear to this administration that it is not a sacramental church.”

The church does not publicly disclose any demographic data, but according to a 2009 Rank Research Center According to the report, 86% of Church members are white. Latinos are some of them fastest growing The number of members is increasing worldwide, thanks to missionary work in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

Even though Spanish-speaking wards are growing and the Mormon community is more diverse, many of those interviewed for this story still feel they face issues of racism and belonging.

This January, Brigham Young University close after the “Dreamers” resource center for undocumented students faced backlash from state leaders who complained that their tithes — or 10% of mandatory donations to the Church — were being used for illegal immigrants. Nori Gomez, a founding member of the Dreamer resource center, said the program’s offices began receiving threatening phone calls. The university eventually removed the resource page.

“It was the highlight of my BYU experience,” he said. “But I don’t agree that there are so many attacks on universities right now, but I understand why.”

Students like Izzy found a sense of community among other DACA recipients through these online resources. The closure of the center had another chilling effect for church members.

Dr. D., a retired Latin studies professor and former bishop of a local Spanish-speaking ward. For former LDS leaders like Ignacio Garcia, the Church’s silence was disappointing.

“The struggle of the church has a lot to do with some of its members, some of its conservative white members,” Garcia said. “[These congregants] I will love you as a member of your ward, but then I will go out and condemn all immigrants.

In July, after hours of public comment from more than 100 community members opposing ICE’s presence in Utah, the Utah County Commission unanimously voted to pass legislation. cooperative agreement We will collaborate with ICE to share data and work on a joint task force with local police. The county sheriff argued that cooperation would give local authorities more leeway in administering injections. “Utah County values” It is geared towards enforcement and public safety rather than allowing full federal oversight.

Evelyn R. worked in Provo as an instructor for young Mormons about to begin their 18- to 24-month missions at home and abroad. As a DACA recipient herself who previously served a Spanish-speaking mission in Georgia, she overheard the mixed feelings of participants at the center about how undocumented people could be baptized.

“[One girl said] You’re really not going to get anywhere with these people because they can’t get baptized. Because to be a member of the Church, you must abide by the law of the land, which is the 12th article of the faith,” Evelyn said.

Article 12 It refers to a statement written by Joseph Smith that states: “We believe in submitting to kings, presidents, rulers, and judges, and keeping, honoring, and keeping the laws.” The article guided members to become good citizens in their communities.

Evelyn said she should ask the mission president if this was true. He reassured her that being undocumented does not prevent someone from belonging. This is a position adopted by the First Presidency, the highest authorities in the Church. ApprovedHe says being undocumented should not prevent an “otherwise worthy Church member” from entering the temple or being ordained to the priesthood, and he urges congregation members to refrain from being judgmental. As someone who is new to church and comes from a different background, she said it’s really hard to hear mixed responses like these.

“God doesn’t care about our situation or who we are, where we come from to be a member of the Church,” he said. Some days he feels like he can identify as a member of the Church, but not necessarily as part of a broader “Mormon culture” — a culture that is predominantly white and can be more conservative about politics in Utah.

“We teach the principles and doctrine of Christ,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve necessarily learned how to apply these things.”

People pass portraits of previous members of the First Presidency ahead of the 195th Semester General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 4.

(Isaac Hale / Associated Press)

Luna Alvarez-Sproul, 25, works as a school teacher in Draper, Utah, where she often translates documents into Spanish for parents. He served a Spanish-speaking mission for 18 months in Salmon, Idaho, where many farm workers were seasonal workers from Latin America.

“As a missionary, we didn’t need to get special permission from someone to baptize an undocumented person,” he recalled. “But there [are] Many members of our church do not believe they should be here with their families, which I think is self-contradictory.

When guidance can vary so much, some church leaders have adopted a more locally focused ward approach; such as distributing food aid to members, helping with rent, and even sharing personal contacts with immigration attorneys. But addressing topics like ICE raids during a service is probably taboo.

“Leaders are being trained and asked to be very careful about how they handle this issue. And I think that puts them in a really difficult position, especially when they have members of their congregation who are affected by this,” Izzy said.

The disillusionment may also have to do with reconciling religious principles with the views held by many people in the Church.

Other members disagree on an institution-wide response. Julia, who asked to use a pseudonym due to her undocumented status, has seen firsthand how individual actions have been kind to her.

“I don’t think the Mormon Church should be responsible for us. The gospel teaches us to be independent,” he said.

He noted that Utah also has the infrastructure to enable many undocumented people to succeed in their daily lives; In 2005, it became the first state to implement the “driver privilege card,” a driver’s license that allows people to commute to work and get insurance, especially for the undocumented.

People wear “We Are Charlie” T-shirts at a memorial for political activist Charlie Kirk on September 12 in Provo, Utah.

(Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Just a few miles away in Orem, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot during an argument at Utah Valley University less than a week before I conducted these interviews. Hundreds of students and local community members attended vigils, leaving fresh flower bouquets and American flags along with crosses and the Book of Mormon on university grounds. “If you want unity, say the name UV,” one poster said. The air echoed with different Mormon hymns, while others were peppered with Bible verses.

The LDS Church released a statement condemning violence and lawless behavior.

Isa Benjamin Garcia spent some time after Sunday’s ward ceremony to reflect on the tragic events of the week. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, President Trump canceled Biden-era policy that excludes churches and schools from immigration raids.

“There’s a lot of discourse around violence, but there’s no acknowledgment of all the other violence that exists and is happening,” he said, referring to ICE raids, including one in California where a day laborer died after running from ICE.

Other members echoed this sentiment. “One thing I’ve been struggling with for the last few months is why the Church doesn’t say, ‘This is wrong.’ As if that’s not what Jesus wants us to do,” Benjamin Garcia said.

People visit the memorial honoring Charlie Kirk at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah, on September 11.

(Laura Seitz / Associated Press)

In August, BYU’s Office of Belonging launched an eight-week course focused on immigration to help people gain “a basic understanding of complex immigration policies.” The goal is to have more nonprofit employees become partially accredited to represent clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Gonzales, ward leader and professor at BYU, believes that despite the difficulties experienced with the removal of the Dreamer center earlier this year, this step speaks volumes about the Church’s efforts.

“My heart warmed when I saw this,” he said. “BYU is a university that is part of the Church and helps support the religious mission of the Church. I think this is a form of messaging through one of its institutions.”

Ultimately, when members encounter these obstacles and differing interpretations of what the Book of Mormon or the Church says, they focus on their relationship with the gospel.

“We also believe that we are the Church, and we believe that it is our responsibility to make it better. And that’s what God wants from us, that’s what Jesus wants from us,” Benjamin Garcia said. Then he paused.

“What keeps most of us here, despite feelings of frustration or questions, is having a belief.”