Immigration Enforcement Action Against Pro-Trump Blogger Tests Movement’s Internal Loyalties
Federal immigration authorities arrested conservative Christian blogger and podcaster Samuel Sey at the Columbus airport on Oct. 21, placing him on an ICE hold at the Butler County Jail. The detention of Sey, who is originally from Ghana and grew up in Canada, has triggered an intense internal backlash and ideological fracture within the broader MAGA movement and conservative Christian circles.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Sey entered the country legally in 2022 but overstayed his authorized period by more than four years, has no pending applications on file, and previously accepted voluntary departure. Conversely, Sey’s wife, a U.S. citizen alongside the couple’s three children, maintained that her husband entered legally and spent years working with legal counsel to establish permanent residency. Friends of the podcaster have characterized the enforcement action as a clerical error.
The arrest immediately divided prominent right-wing commentators who had previously amplified Sey’s work. Influencers such as Allie Beth Stuckey and Megan Basham took to social media to advocate for the family and rally public sympathy, while Joel Berry, former managing editor of the Babylon Bee, launched a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign that quickly raised more than $30,000 for Sey’s legal expenses. Berry, who produces the Jeremy Boreing podcast that Sey was traveling to record when he was detained, described the internal division as one of the darkest experiences he has encountered on social media.
The public defense from elite conservative figures contrasted sharply with reactions from portions of the movement’s grassroots and certain religious leaders. Texas pastor Joel Webbon publicly celebrated the arrest on social media, describing Sey as an illegal alien who spread falsehoods against churches and religious figures in the United States. Evangelical author Dale Partridge similarly remarked that he hoped justice would be served in the case. Replies across online platforms also featured racial hostility directed at Sey and his interracial marriage.
Despite the detention, key allies working on Sey’s behalf have reaffirmed their broader political stances. Berry stated his continued support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while Aaron Baer, Sey’s podcast co-host and president of the Center for Christian Virtue, reported after speaking with Sey in detention that neither man’s position on immigration enforcement had shifted.
Recent polling data indicates shifting attitudes among white evangelical Protestants regarding immigration and leadership approval. The Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Survey reported that 47% of white evangelical Protestants support identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants, down from 53% in 2024. Approval of Donald Trump’s handling of immigration among the same demographic declined from 74% to 67% over the year, while Pew Research Center polling from Oct. 13 placed white evangelical approval of Trump at 58%, marking a 20-point drop since January 2025.
