Houston, TX, August 18, 2026 —

A pastor leading four Adventist churches in the Houston area was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Wednesday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Luis Morales was reportedly preparing to travel with his wife when he was taken into custody.

Morales, a native of Venezuela, arrived in the United States in 2020. He is currently being held in ICE custody.

ICE officials stated that Morales’s immigration history made him subject to arrest. According to the agency, Morales failed to depart the U.S. by July 2020, after initially entering the country on a tourist visa. His Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was subsequently revoked.

Morales’s wife has stated that their asylum case is still pending and that they have not received any deportation orders. The circumstances surrounding the detention and the status of their immigration proceedings are developing.



Story summarized from the original created by Ricky Munoz, Ninfa Saavedra, Damon Sales on www.click2houston.com, see more information here.

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