Colorado Christian reverend seeking asylum in the U.S. may be deported

UPDATE: Nalwamba's attorney David N. Simmons provided this statement to CBS Colorado on Monday: "As of this morning, Pastor Nalwamba is still at the GEO/ICE Detention facility. We are still waiting for a decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals on his stay."  Also below is a statement received Monday from the Department of Homeland Security.

A Christian reverend seeking asylum in the United States with no criminal history may be deported on Monday.

Edward Nalwamba is a Reverend at Resurrection Anglican Church in Greenwood Village, originally from Uganda, who sought asylum in the United States 25 years ago.

The reverend's lawyer and his friends are trying to prevent his removal and have taken legal action. Sen. John Hickenlooper also visited Nalwamba on Sunday at the GEO detention facility in Aurora.

Nalwamba's community is also leaning on their faith. After Sunday service, friends of the reverend stayed to say one more prayer specifically for him.

"He's the most devout person I've ever met. He doesn't drink at all, ever. He hasn't used any kind of inappropriate language, ever. He's just a good, God-fearing man," said Steve Rider.

Nalwamba was arrested in September 2025 after an immigration check-in.

"Ron, my friend, called me and said, 'His car is in the driveway, but I don't know where he is,'" said Karen Rider.

Karen and Steve Rider say Reverend Nalwamba lived with them and was helping her take care of their 33-year-old son Gordon, who has severe cerebral palsy. Karen Rider says the reverend is considered a dissident by the government in Uganda.   

"The police [in Uganda] have gone looking for him at the home that he left, and also another place where they thought he might be," said Karen Rider.

She also says the reverend has no criminal record, a fact confirmed by his attorney.  His attorney says his asylum was denied in 2010, and that he's complied with his order of supervision since then. They aren't sure why he was targeted for deportation, but they say he has suffered health problems during his nine months in federal custody, explaining that he came down with a case of pneumonia.           

"I understand he's lost, like, 30 pounds, and he's so weak because he's so malnourished," said Karen Rider.

Attorneys for Nalwamba have filed a stay of removal and filed a motion to the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen his asylum case.

CBS Colorado asked ICE for more information about the case and why Nalwamba is being deported, but they referred us to the White House. We asked the White House the same thing, and they referred us back to ICE.

His friends and congregants feel like all they can do now is pray that he is returned to them.

"He is very welcome to come back to us," said Karen Rider. "I think he would get strong again and we would go back to the way everything was."

But they say Nalwamba is preparing for the worst.

"He is resigned to the will of God," said Father Phil Eberhart, who serves as the Rector/Sr. Pastor at Resurrection Anglican Church.

Eberhart says Anglican faith workers in Uganda have contacted him and told him they may be able to pick the reverend up and take him in if he is deported to Uganda.

On Monday June 29th, after publication of this story, CBS Colorado received the following statement from the Department of Homeland Security:

"On September 18, 2025, ICE arrested Edward Nkugwa Kironde Nalwamba, an illegal alien from Uganda, in Lakewood, Colorado.

"Nalwamba entered our country on January 1, 2002, on a B2 tourist visa that allowed him to remain in the U.S. for 6 months. He overstayed his visa in violation of our laws. He was granted voluntary departure by an Immigration Judge on March 2, 2007, and still refused to depart. On June 2, 2009, the Board Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal and on April 8, 2010, following a dismissal of his appeal in the 10th Circuit, he was issued a final order of removal. He will remain in ICE custody pending his removal from the United States.

"All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.

"It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.

"ICE follows all applicable health and safety guidelines, including those outlined in the U.S. Department of State's travel advisories, when conducting removal operations.

"Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."