Torben Søndergaard, a Danish evangelist and founder of a ministry called The Last Reformation, says he is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for suspicion of “smuggling weapons from Mexico to America.”
The 45-year-old Søndergaard says he is being held in isolation at ICE’s Baker County Detention Center, a medium-security detention center located in MacClenny, Florida.
On his Facebook page, Torben writes, “This Thursday, I was invited to a meeting with Homeland Security who wanted to talk about my asylum case – a case where I, in Denmark three years ago, was accused of doing many things I had not done, and where I ended up fleeing to America seeking asylum. But then, they suddenly said that the real reason I was there was because they had been notified that I was smuggling weapons from Mexico to America, and I was in shock.”
Søndergaard says he was “Put up against the wall, put in handcuffs, and led into a room. Later I was put in handcuffs again on my hands and on my feet…”
CBN News contacted the Department of Homeland Security about the arrest and spokesman Mike Mearas said the agency “does not comment about any ongoing investigations.”
Søndergaard’s The Last Reformation is a worldwide movement which seeks to return Christianity to the Book of Acts. He also began the Jesus Center in Denmark, which trained disciples from 30 nations to spread this message around the world.
Facing persecution in Denmark and possible arrest, Søndergaard and his family fled with only their suitcases and sought political asylum in the United States in 2019.
‘This is Going to Come to America’: Evangelist Forced to Flee Denmark and Seek Asylum in US
Torben says during his detention, he “prayed for one guy who got healed and he started to cry and said, ‘Whoa, God has truly sent you here to me because two days ago I prayed that God would send somebody to me.’ So I had a beautiful moment with God even though it was terribly hard.”
He also remembered the scripture, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)
Søndergaard asks that Christians pray for this situation and for his family, and that “God will continue doing work in me.