A Maryland pastor who was arrested by federal immigration authorities for overstaying his visa says God used his time in detention to bring many people to salvation.

Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal, 54, of Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama in Easton, was released this past weekend after spending three weeks in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. In a video posted to social media by a family friend, Fuentes Espinal expressed deep gratitude to God and to the community that rallied around his family during his detention.

“I want to give thanks to the community for the support you have given me during this process,” Fuentes Espinal said. “Thank you for your prayers. I am really sure God listened to your prayers.”

His daughter, Clarissa Fuentes Diaz, stood alongside him in the video, thanking Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office and members of Congress for advocating on her father’s behalf. “I am very happy to have my dad back home,” she said. “He is the pillar of our house. … My heart is full.”

Though his arrest on July 21 left his family and church shaken, Pastor Fuentes Espinal shared that God opened unexpected doors while he was detained in Louisiana.

“The glory of the Lord was manifested in the place where I was detained,” he said in another video posted online. “For three weeks, God opened doors for the preaching of His word. And there were many souls converted to Christ. That, my beloved brothers, is the victory we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

He encouraged his supporters to rejoice, not only because of his release, but because men and women came to know Christ as Savior while behind bars.

Originally from Honduras, Fuentes Espinal entered the U.S. in 2001 on a six-month visa but never returned home, citing poverty and violence that had taken the lives of relatives. His family said he was in the process of applying for a green card when ICE arrested him while he was on his way back from a construction site.

Known in Easton for his acts of compassion, Fuentes Espinal has long been a lifeline for vulnerable neighbors—providing food, clothing, shelter, and emergency financial aid. Community members submitted over a dozen letters in his support, and more than 50,000 dollars were raised through a GoFundMe campaign to help his family. One week after his arrest, dozens lined Route 50 in Easton in protest of his detention.

Fuentes Espinal joined a local Nazarene congregation in 2010 and became its pastor in 2015. Both in the pulpit and on the streets, he has been recognized as a man of prayer and service. “While he is a Honduran at heart, he came here for the future of his children,” his daughter explained.

The pastor’s case is part of a broader issue facing immigrant congregations. Evangelical and Catholic leaders have raised concerns that mass deportation policies could disrupt churches across the U.S., as many immigrant pastors and members are Christians. A coalition of Christian organizations recently estimated that 80% of the 10 million immigrants at risk of deportation identify as believers.

Earlier this year, Florida pastor Maurilio Ambrocio was deported to Guatemala more than two decades after arriving in the U.S. He was among 100 Guatemalan immigrants removed on a charter flight from New Orleans.

Pastor Fuentes Espinal, however, remains focused on ministry. “We are here too, working for the Lord,” he said after his release. Even in detention, he reminded his church family that God’s kingdom cannot be locked behind bars.