Iranian Christian Convert Facing Execution: ICE Set to Deport Mehran to Iran Where Evangelizing Muslims Is a Death Penalty Crime

Iranian Christian Convert Who Evangelized Muslims Faces Execution If ICE Deports Him to Iran

Two Iranian Christian converts known by the pseudonyms Mehran and Amin have been held in ICE custody at the Houston Contract Detention Facility since December, and their pastor warns that deporting them could be a death sentence.

Pastor Blaine Hooper of Refuge Church of Houston said both men fled Iran after converting to Christianity from Islam, a crime that carries capital punishment under the Islamic Republic's apostasy laws.

Mehran was involved in evangelizing Muslims inside Iran before fleeing, an act the regime treats as an even more serious offense than simple conversion.

Both men presented themselves at the US border and claimed asylum during the Biden administration. They were vetted, released, and granted work authorization cards, and they have held jobs and paid American taxes for more than two years.

It carries a death sentence in that country.

That was Hooper's warning about what awaits Mehran if he is returned to Tehran, now effectively at war with the United States and Israel following recent military strikes.

Both men were taken into custody in December when they showed up for routine check ins tied to their ongoing asylum cases. They have since been held at the Houston Contract Detention Facility.

In March, Mehran had his merits hearing, the proceeding where an immigration judge decides whether an asylum seeker can be released or ordered deported. Hooper said the judge ruled against Mehran in under ten minutes.

The judge ruled to deport him to a country that we're currently bombing.

Refuge Church has rallied around the detained men with regular visits, legal fundraising, and public advocacy to prevent their removal. The case echoes earlier incidents in which Iranian Christians were picked up at churches in California and elsewhere, and 11 Iranian Christians were deported to Panama last year.

Houston Church Pastor Warns ICE Deportation of Iranian Christian Converts Could Lead to Their Execution

Hooper has emphasized that both men came through the legal asylum process, passed background vetting, received work permits, and became active members of his congregation in Houston.

Sisters Mahan and Mozhan Motahari, Iranian Christian converts also detained by ICE, were released from custody in January 2026 after a public advocacy campaign drew national attention to their case.

The Crusader's Opinion

We are about to deport a brother in Christ to a country that executes apostates. Mehran evangelized Muslims inside Iran. That is a death penalty offense under sharia law. He fled to America, did everything right, paid his taxes, and now an immigration judge spent ten minutes rubber stamping his execution. Where is the outrage? When Middle Eastern Christians beg for sanctuary, the West shrugs. If a Muslim convert to Islam were being sent back to a Christian country for beheading, the entire UN would melt down. Christians are the most persecuted religious group on earth, and we are handing them to their executioners. This is blood guilt.

Take Action

• Donate to The Shepherds Shield to support persecuted Christians worldwide
• Support Open Doors USA which tracks and aids Christians on the World Watch List, where Iran ranks among the top 10 worst persecutors
• Contact ICE Public Advocate at 1 888 351 4024 to request humanitarian review for Iranian Christian asylum seekers facing deportation
• Call your US Senators at 202 224 3121 and demand a formal asylum carve out protecting religious converts from Iran, Afghanistan, and other apostasy punishing regimes
• Give to Voice of the Martyrs which provides legal and pastoral support to converts from Islam
• Pray for Mehran, Amin, and Pastor Blaine Hooper of Refuge Church Houston as they fight to keep these brothers from being sent to their deaths