EASTON, Md. - For the first time, Easton pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal is speaking out about his recent detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an experience he says tested his faith and separated him from his family for weeks.
Fuentes Espinal, who is originally from Honduras and preaches at Iglesia del Nazareno Jesús Te Ama in Easton, has lived in the United States for 24 years. He says he was pulled over by ICE agents on July 21 while on his way to his construction job.
Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal speaks with CoastTV News and Telemundo Delmarva reporter Ana Sofia Román about his experiences during and after his detention by ICE.
"I handed him my license," Fuentes Espina recalled. "Then he asked if I could please step out of my vehicle. He said, 'Are you here legally or illegally in this country? And I told him, 'Well, I can't answer that question because my attorney isn't with me."
Moments later, Fuentes Espinal, who has no criminal record, says he was placed under arrest by ICE.
"At that moment, maybe there wasn't much time to think, just to believe that all of this had to be part of the Lord's purpose," he said. "Of course, in that moment, I thought about my family, my wife, how they would be, how they would feel. Yet beyond that, there was peace in my heart."
Fuentes Espinal was first taken to the ICE field office in Salisbury, where he spent only a few hours before being transferred to the Baltimore ICE field office inside the George Fallon Federal Building.
Those Baltimore holding rooms have since become part of a federal class-action lawsuit alleging inhumane conditions, allegations ICE denies. Maryland lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, toured the facility in August after initially being denied access in July.
"We were there for three and a half days," Fuentes Espinal said. "It wasn't the best place with the best conditions, but we had to go through that process. During those three nights we spent there, we slept on the concrete floor without sheets, just a simple aluminum blanket that they give out."
CoastTV News contacted ICE about the alleged conditions, and a spokesperson responded:
"ICE remains committed to enforcing immigration laws fairly, safely, and humanely. The Baltimore Field Office ensures that our holding facility operates in full compliance with federal laws, agency policies, and established standards to uphold the well-being and dignity of those in our custody. Any claims that the holding facility does not provide humane conditions for detainees are completely false."
The national waiver on the use of holding rooms for ICE field offices, issued on June 24, states that detainees may remain in a detention facility "for up to, but not exceeding, 72 hours, absent exceptional circumstances."
Before the memorandum, ICE policies stated that, except under exceptional circumstances, no person should remain in a field office holding room for more than 12 hours.
CoastTV News also asked about the length of time the pastor was held in Baltimore, but did not receive a response.
For the first time, Easton pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal is speaking out about his recent detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an experience he says tested his faith and separated him from his family for weeks.
After Baltimore, Fuentes Espinal was transferred thousands of miles away to the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.
"Why are they moving us so far away when they could have left us in closer states where family could even visit us?" he asked. "What came to my mind was that maybe I wouldn't be able to see my children for a long time, because I didn't know how long they were going to keep me detained, or how long it would take for them to deport me, or how long it would take for me to be able to leave the place free."
He describes that time as both terrifying and uncertain.
"Well, of course, there's sadness. There's uncertainty. What's going to happen?" he said.
Through it all, Espinal Fuentes says he relied on his faith to stay strong and to help others around him.