US citizens protest detention of Ugandan elderly pastor in Colorado

• Rev Edward Nalwamba has been held in US immigration detention since September 2025.

• Supporters say he has become seriously ill and poses no public safety risk.

• Church members have organised protests, prayer vigils and a petition calling for his release.

• US authorities say he is receiving medical care and should leave the country under an existing deportation order.

A local church community in the US state of Colorado is calling on US immigration authorities to release a 78-year-old Ugandan pastor who is detained on immigration related charges.

The locals have staged protests expressing concern over the health of Rev Edward Nalwamba that has deteriorated, and yet he poses no threat to the public.

Rev Nalwamba has been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since September 2025 after authorities detained him while he was on his way to care for a man with severe disabilities.

Nalwamba travelled to the United States from Uganda in 2002 to attend a religious conference but remained after his visa expired. 

He later sought asylum, arguing that he feared persecution if returned to Uganda because of his past criticism of the government. His asylum bid was rejected, and a final deportation order was issued in 2010.

After the government failed to deport him, he spent 15 years living and working in Colorado under a supervision order. During that time, he served as a pastor, worked as a home health aide, paid taxes and cared for people with disabilities.

His detention has drawn criticism from members of Resurrection Anglican Church in Greenwood Village, Colorado, many of whom say immigration enforcement should focus on violent offenders rather than elderly people with no criminal record.

Church members have organised prayer vigils, launched a petition that has attracted nearly 1,900 signatures and invited Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper to visit Nalwamba in detention.

Supporters say the pastor has lost about 35 pounds since entering detention and now struggles to walk without assistance. They also claim he has not received adequate medical care.

"I thought they were going to go after violent criminals," said Rev Phil Eberhart, the church's lead pastor, who said he supports President Donald Trump's broader immigration agenda but believes Nalwamba's case deserves different treatment.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that Nalwamba has been denied medical care. It said he has received regular treatment and maintained that people in the country illegally can choose to leave voluntarily under the administration's self-deportation programme.

Nalwamba insists returning to Uganda would place his life at risk. His lawyer has filed fresh motions seeking to reopen his immigration case, arguing that Uganda's human rights situation has worsened since his asylum claim was rejected.

For now, members of his church continue to campaign for his release, saying the elderly pastor should be allowed to remain in the community he has served for more than two decades.