RUSKIN, Fla. — Immigration has been top of mind for many, especially among churchgoers.
A local pastor with the Diocese of St. Petersburg tells ABC Action News reporter Annette Gutierrez that parishioners are feeling anxious about coming to the house of God, afraid ICE agents could question them.
WATCH: Faith and fear: Local church addresses ICE anxiety among Hispanic parishioners
Father Kevin Yarnell is a priest at St. Anne Catholic Church in Ruskin.
He said about half of their congregation identifies as Hispanic, and the recent ICE raids and deportations are hitting close to home.
"I did have one parishioner a couple of weeks ago tell me that I believe it was her brother that had been picked up and deported, and of course that was quite troubling to her," said Father Kevin Yarnell.
To help bring peace of mind, Father Kevin said the church invited an expert to speak with parishioners about what to do if they end up in that situation.
"What are your rights if you get stopped? Trying to help them, trying to lower their anxiety, but it’s definitely there," said Father Kevin.
He said the Diocese even trained its pastors in case ICE agents show up at their church.
"If they're overstepping their bounds with a search warrant, something like that, the Diocese has told me that I should tell them, ‘Hey, no, I don't think you've got this right, and that you need to go to go get something a little better and come back,'" said Father Kevin.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem made a stop in Tampa today to talk about immigration arrests and the removal of violent criminals.
She said more than a million illegal immigrants have left the workforce and returned to their home country.
"We're gonna come harder and faster, and we're gonna take these criminals down with even more strength than we ever have before," said Noem. "We have the funding to put in the training, the resources, the salary, and the support for our law enforcement officers that they've never had before. We will never apologize for protecting our nation's law enforcement."
And for anyone who hasn’t committed crimes, but has come here illegally, her message to them is to go home.
"Go home before you get picked up, before you surround yourself with people who are perpetuating crimes," said Noem. "Don't hang out with gang members, cartel members, don't be a part of a terrorist organization. If you are a good person, you shouldn't be breaking our laws, and you should self-deport. If they self-deport, we will buy them a plane ticket. We'll give them dollars when they land there."
Yusleydis Madrugas lives in Tampa and is a Cuban immigrant who knows what it’s like to go through the immigration courts. She said she agrees with the removal of criminals, but adds that immigration officials need to be more flexible on the people who are seeking a better life.
"There are people who come here to work," said Madrugas in Spanish. "And then there are people who come fleeing their country because of something bad they did there... But they know who's who. Immigration officials know who they should deport. And they're doing it, but I don't know if it's random or if it’s like 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.'"
Noem said it’s about getting rid of the “worst of the worst.”
"I think that’s how they sold it to the neutral people because on the premise to say that I’m going to get rid of the criminals," said Steve Knowles, a parishioner at St. Anne Catholic Church. "Well, we all want criminals off the streets. And if their outcome is that they’re deported, okay. But it’s clearly gone way beyond that."
At the end of the day, Father Kevin said, no matter your politics, whether you're republican or democrat, the people of faith are called to listen to their God.
"So even if you have well-thought out hard views, you still need have an obligation to listen and to love the other person even if they don’t agree with you," said Father Kevin.
He said the goal is to make sure parishioners feel safe and informed, no matter what challenges they face beyond the church doors.
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