Condemning the Nicaraguan Government's unjust imprisonment of individuals affiliated with Mountain Gateway Ministry.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding time and for his leadership on this important issue.

Since its founding in 2006, Mountain Gateway Ministries has been changing people's lives through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the feeding and clothing of those in need, and the provision of water, food, equipment, and recovery assistance during and after natural disasters.

These noble and selfless efforts have had far-reaching impacts on the lives of so many families and individuals extending far beyond the borders of any individual Nation.

In 2013, Mountain Gateway Ministries began their important work in Nicaragua, spreading the Lord's word to hundreds of thousands of people.

The ministry has started and supported multiple churches across the country, provided countless aid and helping hands through hurricanes and other humanitarian relief projects, and has even gone as far as to run a Fairtrade coffee farm with the goal of providing a source of stable income for local residents in nearby rural communities.

Over the course of 10 years, they have operated with the cooperation and approval of the Nicaraguan authorities. Unfortunately, this all changed after the ministry held a series of evangelistic services in 2023, which nearly 1 million people attended.

Shortly after those services ended, the Nicaraguan government rapidly changed its position and began a relentless campaign of wrongful persecution.

In December 2023, under the guise of false money laundering claims and with little to no notice, the Nicaraguan government canceled the ministry's legal status, arrested several Nicaraguan pastors and ministry partners, threatened the arrest of U.S. citizens involved with the ministry, seized the ministry's properties, and froze its bank accounts.

After spending months at a Nicaraguan prison with no access to legal counsel, no visits from their relatives, and being unable to hear the allegations against them, the trials against those arrested commenced.

During the trial, the presiding judge arbitrarily elevated the charges against these individuals to aggravated money laundering claims.

All the Nicaraguan defendants were found guilty of the elevated charges and sentenced to severe punishments, including over 10 years in prison and fines amounting to tens of millions of dollars.

These instances of wrongful targeting and persecution have unfortunately become routine actions by the Nicaraguan government.

The same government has taken similar steps against the Catholic Church, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many other religious groups, charities, and civic organizations.

Mr. Speaker, what is currently unfolding in Nicaragua with the members of Mountain Gateway Ministries is a

travesty, an injustice on the greatest scale.

From the time of their arrest to the handing down of their sentences, the treatment of these individuals and the ministry is in complete contradiction to the most fundamental freedoms and beliefs that we hold here in America, including the freedom of religion, presumption of innocence, and the guarantee of due process and equal treatment under the law.

I commend Mountain Gateway founder Jon Britton Hancock and his family, who are constituents of mine in Wyoming, for bringing this to my attention and for their tireless efforts to advocate for the just treatment and release of these individuals.

I urge President Biden, the State Department, and all of my colleagues to call on the Nicaraguan government to take prompt action to address these violations of religious freedom and abandonment of justice and due process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of these Nicaraguan pastors, ministry leaders of Mountain Gateway, who are unable to speak for themselves.

I thank my colleague from Alabama for taking this time of the Special Order to discuss this issue, to bring it to the attention of the American people, and, really, to the world.

He has been a great champion on this, and there are many members of our delegation in Alabama, and, really, across the country, that are very concerned about what we have heard going on in Nicaragua and the situation down there.

Unfortunately, so many of the American people are very unaware of what the situation is just a few hundred miles south of our border here in the United States of America.

These leaders, as has been already mentioned, but it should be repeated. These leaders have been convicted by the Nicaraguan government on sham charges. They now face up to 15 years in prison and $80 million in fines each.

The arrests came after these courageous pastors led a series of revivals that were authorized by the Nicaraguan government. They were rounded up, and they were imprisoned shortly after a mass outpouring of faith in the capital city.

Mr. Speaker, it is an act of religious persecution that put these men and women in prison, these pastors, these leaders, these spiritual leaders, these ministry leaders. It is human rights violations that have kept them in prison.

Again, I am so thankful that we live in a country where we do not have to worry about going to prison. I think so many Americans take for granted all the many freedoms that we have in this country.

One of those main freedoms that we have is that we get to worship freely. We can worship freely, whether it be at an outdoor revival, whether it be in a large event, small event, or just being at home reading our Bible. We don't have to worry about being sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Myself, as a young boy who accepted Christ in my own life, I can now be in Congress, and I can be a citizen here in this United States and not worry about the threat of prison being hung over my head. We can worship freely whether it is to go to an outdoor revival, a program that was such as happened in Nicaragua, or whether it is to simply go to a small church service or just simply being at home with some other Christians sitting around, reading or praying the Bible together.

During this time when we are reflecting on what is going on here, I encourage the American people to reach out to their Members of Congress and to encourage them to do what they can to stand with those of us who are trying to call attention to this very serious issue.

This not only goes on in Nicaragua, but it also goes on in many other parts of the world, as well. Today, we certainly want to call attention to those pastors and ministry leaders from Mountain Gateway who aren't able to speak for themselves and be a voice here in the United States House of Representatives.

We ask for their release, and I would call on the Nicaraguan government to take action to address these indisputable violations and to free these men and women so that they can be returned to their homes and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, American citizens from Alabama and Texas and their Nicaraguan partners have made it their mission to spread the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Nicaraguan people for nearly 30 years.

Evangelists with Mountain Gateway Ministries have worked across the country, leading on disaster recovery and feeding, clothing, and planting churches with the support and assistance of the Nicaraguan government.

In January, however, the Attorney General of Nicaragua began pursuing charges against three U.S. citizens associated with Mountain Gateway and 11 Mountain Gateway Nicaraguan pastors on trumped-up charges of money laundering and organized crime.

In addition to being barred from meeting with their legal representation and their families, the lawyers on their case were denied access to the case files and to other relevant documentation against the pastors.

During the sham trial, the government was unable to produce evidence of the alleged illicit activity. Despite this, the 11 pastors have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and a combined $1 billion in fines.

These pastors were working to bless the people of Nicaragua, and now they have been thrown in prison, and all their property has been seized.

These sentences leave families without income and children without mothers and fathers simply for sharing the good news of Jesus. I am deeply concerned that these citizens and pastors were targeted for sharing their faith.

Matthew 5:10 says: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

I recently introduced a resolution, H. Res. 1019, condemning the Nicaraguan government for unjust imprisonment of these people, and I hope my colleagues will join in support.

I am praying for a swift resolution to this situation so these pastors can be safely returned to their families and continue sharing the Gospel.

I am grateful to the Members of Congress who joined me for this Special Order to highlight this issue and call on the Nicaraguan government to release the imprisoned pastors immediately.

I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), one of my first cosponsors of H. Res. 1019.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), my friend.

Mr. Speaker, previously our colleagues across the aisle were talking about hope and mental health in America.

I think in Nicaragua, these ministries and certainly these missionaries were impacting people's lives and bringing them hope. It is just a shame what has happened to them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Ms. Hageman speaking tonight on that. I certainly want to encourage everybody to get on this resolution, H. Res. 1019, to help free these folks and bring attention to this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for yielding time. I rise today to urge my colleagues to support passage of H. Res. 1019, introduced by my colleague from Alabama (Mr. Moore), in response to the Nicaraguan government's unjust imprisonment of 11 pastors associated with Mountain Gateway, a missionary group based here in the United States.

This wrongful imprisonment is not the first time Nicaragua has persecuted good Samaritans trying to help their impoverished Nation. In recent years, Nicaragua has arrested Catholic missionaries, as well as members of the Red Cross.

As the United States Congress, we have a vested interest in both upholding international religious freedom and the safety and security of American citizens currently targeted.

I join my colleagues to call on the Nicaraguan government to rescind these unjust charges immediately and release the pastors.

To the pastors and persecuted Christians everywhere, I encourage them with this passage from Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mr. Speaker, as Americans, we pride ourselves on our individual liberties and due process of law. We were founded on the freedom of religion, and it is one of the most important freedoms that we hold. I am deeply disturbed by the ongoing situation of religious persecution in Nicaragua. The Mountain Gateway pastors, who spread the teachings of Jesus, have been violated at the hands of the Nicaraguan government. No person should ever be imprisoned for peacefully practicing their religion. Religious persecution is both intolerable and barbaric. The radical, leftist government of Nicaragua and President Daniel Ortega have proven themselves time again to be horribly oppressive. As a member of the United States Congress, I condemn Nicaragua's actions, and I will always fight for religious freedom at home and abroad.