Scandal rocked my church last week, but not because anyone did anything wrong. In fact, the scandal is that members of our church community are in trouble with the law despite doing everything right.

The Department of Homeland Security sent out a mass email to immigrants. It started with this ominous line: “It is time for you to leave the United States.” It went on to announce that their “parole” status—granted because of the credible threat of persecution—was being revoked immediately.

Among those who received this email are Afghan Christians who worship at my church in North Carolina. They fled their home country after being arrested and tortured by the Taliban for their faith. Their firsthand stories would make you cringe.

Every one of them entered the United States legally. No one jumped over a border fence, skirted the immigration rules, or broke any laws after arriving. They came through a complicated process designed to prove their fear of persecution was real, and they were told they were safe.

Since then, they have supported themselves, establishing peaceful lives here—working, paying rent, and worshiping with other believers. They haven’t asked for anything in return but safety.

Yet, last week, they were given just seven days to return to a country where imprisonment, torture, and likely death await them. The cruelest irony: the deportation deadline fell on Good Friday, the day Christians remember Christ’s torture at the hands of unjust men.

We’re all hoping this is a big oversight and trying to assume the best about the administration. After all, President Trump has previously voiced compassion for persecuted Christians coming from the Middle East. And just recently, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “The Trump administration promises you whether it’s here at home with our own citizens or all over the world, we will be the biggest defenders of religious liberty and the rights of conscience.”

It doesn’t make sense that this administration would then send these vulnerable Christians back to the hands of their torturers.

I asked one of our Afghan community members what he would say to President Trump if given the chance. He said, “I am a Christian. You are a Christian. I am your brother. Please protect me. But if you want me to die, send me back to Afghanistan.”

Imagine a wealthy family that opened its massive home to a woman and her children after learning of their torture by a violent, abusive husband. Suddenly, one morning, the maid bangs on the door and tells the woman to pack up—it’s time to get out.

“Where am I supposed to go?” the woman asks, clutching her children.

“Back to your husband,” says the maid. “He’s waiting in the driveway. Get out now, or we’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

Scripture is painfully clear about how God responds when nations neglect the poor, the foreigner, and the oppressed—he brings judgment (Amos 5:10-15, Jeremiah 5:27-28, Micah 6:9-15). I don’t believe that requires us to adopt an open border policy, nor do I think we have to turn a blind eye to those who ignore our immigration laws. But it does mean we must honor basic justice and keep our word when we offer refuge to those running for their lives.

If this DHS email really was just an administrative error or an oversight, then the most decent thing we can do is correct it quickly. Here are two suggestions:

• Pause the decision to revoke parole or at least grant Temporary Protected Status to give time to find a good legal solution that reflects the administration’s support for persecuted Christians.

• Conduct a more thorough evaluation of whether Afghanistan is a safe country for at-risk Christian refugees, considering the high likelihood of their torture and death if they immediately return home as ordered.

Vice President Vance recently said, “The biggest impediments to religious liberty have not come through malice from the United States government but have actually come through carelessness.”

I hope the mass cancellation of these Christians’ parole status was just a result of carelessness. In that case, it’s not too late for the administration to rescue these innocent believers from certain death. But if this was intentional—if this is what the administration means by a strong immigration policy—then God forgive our nation. We know not what we do.