>> Is as inauguration Day approaches, President-elect Donald Trump's declaration to launch the largest deportation program in American history.

Spreading fear across immigrant communities around the country in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

Lincoln United Methodist Church is already guarding against potential deportation raids by moving its in-person Spanish services to virtual services online.

Joining us now via zoom is Reverend Emma Lozano, a pastor of the linking United Methodist Church and founder of the nonprofit organization sent Thrill seeing foot on that U.S.

Thank you, Reverend Lozano for joining us.

I want to start off your church has been, as I mentioned, holding its Spanish services online since Christmas Day.

Can you tell us a bit about why you decided to make this change?

>> Or the leadership of our church came together and because we were a target during the last presidential term of Donald Trump, we are church show was visited attacked and defaced by white supremacists.

We are a sanctuary church where and the dad and for places on and Francisca.

Leno had stayed a time when they were in deportation proceedings and stood there to make a statement that they did not want to get deported from the U.S. citizen children or their spouses.

So we have already been a target.

2 people have already done prison time that have gone to come to our church and threatened us and broke our dorm, one location and her one of our our volunteers and one of our congregation members.

So we just decided that the best thing that we could do was go virtual like we did during the pandemic, learned a lot during that time that we could still be together.

And even though we were a part and we could still hold worship service together.

>> And Reverend, emotionally, you just talked about what it was like.

Oh, when you receiving threats and what was that like?

A mostly for the congregation in for yourself.

>> Well, I remember the day in and and never and never really leaves you.

You have like what they call PTSD.

>> I remember when group of men wearing red hats.

>> When I was leaving my house because I was going to a baptism that I was going to perform.

And I had a gift in my hand.

And when I saw the group I I I quickly turned around and lock the door and came out because I didn't want them to come into the house where my grandchildren were in that and then I face them and they were yelling and saying that I was for open borders and had a big camera and I understand at this clip went viral on their on their media places and I was upset about that.

But I was able I tried to have dialogue with them because I really believe that even though that seemed threatening to me and they were yelling at me and insulting me that there might be some.

Way that I could get.

I make them understand.

We're just families families are people here working.

We have U.S. citizen children were mixed status families and we're not hurting anybody.

And we're actually contributing to the cultures society and the economy of this country.

So that was what I was trying to tell them.

And that I was a pastor.

And as a Christian, as the Bible teaches I have I open to all people and ready or not they considered citizens.

>> And Reverend Donald Trump's Porter SAR Tom Homan claims at that claims at mass deportations will begin here in Chicago.

The Chicago see Tree City make it a target?

I mean, especially as we know historically, churches have been staying Areas are safe spaces for people.

>> Well, because it because there's a lot of reasons.

I'm sure Donald Trump and and he's administration is targeting Chicago.

One.

Illinois in Chicago didn't go vote for him and that his last election we have an African-American mayor that seems like that's also like a been a target of the party of Donald Trump and I think there's a lot of reasons behind there and the name a sanctuary city.

I believe it really comes a point of discussion where before what it really means is that you're welcome here.

Immigrants are welcome here.

And and turned it into this like other thing where, you know, it almost makes like I said a target like we're a sanctuary church.

So therefore, people, you know, that do not believe and are light minded thinking people like ourselves that they do, they can come here.

And I think that that's what reason why they're saying they're targeting Chicago and the sanctuary cities because that's how how they motivate their base of hate towards us.

>> And Reverend, again, you've experienced the stretch.

You experience what it feels like.

Know what is your biggest fear moving forward, especially, you know, a hearing about Trump's mass deportation plans starting here in Chicago.

>> I was at a Bible study where I was doing a Bible study for children.

And a white supremacist came to the church and set in on the Bible study they were born here in this country, U.S. citizen children.

But there first language is Spanish because that's what they speak at home.

And so I we were doing the Bible study in Spanish and he demanded that I speak English because we're in America.

this was very scary for us.

We made a report later.

The police really didn't find him until he broke I guess the windows at a at a Jewish temple downtown and then he was arrested and that was not the first time they came.

They've been inside of our church, taking pictures confronting folks during the last I said do believe that this could get worse.

>> I really think that they would that they would target my church.

So we are not going to be sitting ducks.

I have a responsibility to my congregation, the English congregation.

That is yeah.

Younger black Brown and white.

They will continue their service.

But my service that were mixed status, families will Matt and we will be and virtually and like I said, we this this is no different than the pandemic.

Only thing.

The medicine is not the vaccine.

The medicine now is for our leadership, for our community, for our city to come together and say that we're going to resist this.

This is this is going to divide families.

This is going to cause, you know, our economy hurt our economy, hurt our communities because we're talking about families that have been here and have roots here and Reagan, I apologize.

We're going to have