When Mehrdad Mehdipour was arrested on June 22 by federal immigration agents at the home of his Colorado Springs host and friend, Iranian Christian-advocate Mohamad Faridi, Faridi was angered.

Mehdipour had been surrounded, cuffed and hauled away based on “lies from the pit of hell,” he fumed.

Catching himself, Faridi added, “I need to be a good Christian.” He said it’s a thought he’s turned to often recently.

Mehdipour’s apprehension was part of a national immigration raid targeting Iranians, according to a news release from the Department of Homeland Security on June 23. The release said Mehdipour was processed for expedited removal from the United States in 2023.

He was one of 11 Iranians arrested in the June 22 sweep, the release stated. It also said he was one of two Iranian men arrested at Faridi’s home.

False pretenses and lies, said Faridi, who, as Mehdipour’s religious mentor, offered him shelter in his Colorado Springs home after Mehdipour had fled Iran to avoid persecution for selling Christian literature, including the Bible.

Faridi said 2023 was the year that Mehdipour came to the United States, and also the year that DHS issued Mehdipour a Social Security card and work permit, allowing him to be in the United States.

In Iran, all people are born into Islam, Faridi said in an interview with The Gazette, and Christianity is widely persecuted. In 2019, Mehdipour learned about Christianity and discreetly started the process of conversion.

“He (Mehdipour) started searching to see if there is a God, or any truth, and the more he studied Islam, the more he realized it’s not the religion for humanity,” said Faridi.

Mehdipour routinely traveled to neighboring Turkey to meet a formerly Islamic Christian pastor who was teaching him the gospel, and during a 2021 trip, he met Faridi, who frequents Turkey on evangelical trips.

Faridi and Mehdipour became close friends, talking almost daily about Christianity.

During this period, while living in Iran, Mehdipour operated an underground print shop of Christian literature, mainly Bibles. When the Iranian government found out about his business, he knew he had to flee, according to Faridi. His first call was to his friend in Colorado Springs.

Mehdipour came to the U.S. in 2023 to live with Faridi and his family. He obtained parole status, meaning he was granted access to the United States on an asylum claim of escaping religious persecution. Parole is not an “admission” or “entry,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, but rather “the paroled alien is treated as an applicant for admission.” DHS then issued him a work permit and he got a Social Security card, according to Faridi.

Until June 22, Mehdipour worked for a mobile mechanic in town, Faridi said, while never missing a Sunday church service.

When federal agents showed up at Faridi’s doorstep looking for Mehdipour, Faridi called Mehdipour to let him know. Mehdipour was out servicing a car and returned home within 15 minutes.

When he arrived, “the show was spectacular,” Faridi said, describing the number of agents and vehicles that descended on his house.

There were at least 15 agents, including those identified by FBI insignia, some with their weapons visible, who surrounded Mehdipour immediately, Faridi said. They did not ask for his Social Security card or his work permit when they arrested him.

“I was telling the FBI that we have complied with everything and that he is here legally. They said, ‘You all say that,’” Faridi said.

When Faridi approached Mehdipour as he sat handcuffed in a squad car, Mehdipour apologized for embarrassing him in front of their neighbors. Then, he asked for his Bible, his friend said.

DHS’ press release

DHS’ June 23 press release states that immigration enforcement agents arrested Mehdipour from the same location as another arrestee, and that the two arrestees lived together in the Springs.

“They did not. We don’t know who this guy is,” Faridi said, regarding the second Iranian arrested in Colorado Springs.

“Everything other than where he crossed the border and the city that he lived, everything else in that little paragraph is a lie. We know who Mehdipour is. He lived with us, we knew him, and when we read this, we were thinking, ‘They must have the wrong Mehrdad,” Faridi said, irritably.

Mehdipour’s attorney, James Blaise, reinforced Faridi’s version of events.

Blaise is an immigration lawyer at the Pacific Justice Institute, a nonprofit organization that offers legal representation free of charge to people facing religious, immigration or parental rights issues. When Faridi reached out to Blaise, Blaise said it was obvious that Mehdipour’s case fit his firm’s standards.

“Part of the reason PJI took his case is because he does face a lot of risk if he were to return to Iran. He was highly involved with helping convert others to Christianity, which is outlawed in Iran. He was involved with providing gospel books to individuals, that’s also outlawed in Iran. If he returns to Iran, he could be arrested or even killed,” Blaise said.

Blaise affirmed Faridi’s claims that Mehdipour lived with Faridi, came to the United States legally on a legitimate fear of religious persecution and that DHS misrepresented the case in their press release.

“The real charge against him is that he entered the country without being admitted or paroled. … In Mehrdad’s case, he was paroled into the country in August of 2023. That first year, he did file for asylum, and he’s been here ever since,” Blaise said.

The Gazette reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and they restated that Mehdipour was served with expedited removal paperwork in 2023, and said, “Aliens who have been authorized to work in the U.S. are not conferred any form of lawful status and can be placed in immigration proceedings or detained at any time.”

Going forward

Mehdipour has been in federal custody for over a month and has been held in two detention facilities: the immigration detention facility in Aurora and the Sweetwater Detention Facility in Sweetwater County, Wyo. Faridi said Mehdipour’s stay in the Sweetwater facility made him “hopeless.”

“He was very glad that he returned to Aurora,” Faridi said, “because he said there are more Christians there, and at least they feed you in Aurora.”

Mehdipour’s latest court hearing was last Monday, during which Blaise said the judge ruled in their favor. However, DHS’ attorney motioned to change the charges that Mehdipour faces, accusing him of entering the United States illegally.

“It was quite a day,” Blaise said. “When the charges were changed, it was disheartening. I’ve never reached a desired outcome, then had the charges switched. It’s just never happened to me before.”

The initial charges that he faced revolved around a technicality of whether or not Mehdipour was paroled in the United States, that is, whether he was granted permission to temporarily stay in the country.

“The government is arguing that Mehrdad was never admitted or paroled, and that he should be returned to Iran and be removed from the United States. Our argument is that he was paroled, he has not violated any of the terms and conditions on which he entered the country, and he faces a huge risk by returning to Iran,” Blaise said.

On Aug. 13, Mehdipour will face a judge yet again, and at this hearing, it will be decided if the new charges against him will stick. Blaise says after the hearing, Mehdipour will have a “merit hearing,” which will decide if he can stay in the U.S.

Blaise expressed concern about packed immigration courts in which judges see upward of six cases an hour, putting huge pressure on attorneys to present cases quickly and effectively.

“I understand that there’s a lot of cases that are being heard at this time. I just wish that we had the opportunity to articulate his circumstances; they are so unique versus others. There is not a possibility of him being able to return to his home country safely, and that is rare,” Blaise said.

“There is not a way to tell the judge, except through documents, that this individual has truly put his life on the line to practice his faith. We are doing everything we can to show that he’s not only a great person, but that we really fear for his safety if he were to be returned to his home country.”

Faridi’s ministry

Faridi became a citizen of the United States in 2018 after escaping Iran for similar reasons to Mehdipour.

In Iran, Faridi was a taxi driver, according to his memoir, “Forsaking My Father’s Religion.” He kept a Bible on his dashboard, preaching the gospel to those curious, until one passenger reported him to the Iranian government.

One of Faridi’s friends called him and warned him of a government investigation into his religious practices, and to protect his family, he came to the U.S.

After becoming a citizen, Faridi started Iranian Christians International, a ministry that travels to Iran’s neighboring countries to help people convert from Islam to Christianity and provides a community for converts in Colorado Springs.