Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Conroe. An Episcopal priest and immigrant who was legally employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Conroe after being detained last month, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas said.The diocese said it’s unclear why the Kenyan man, the Rev. James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi, was detained while returning from his job Oct. 25.“The Episcopal Diocese of Texas stands firmly for justice, dignity and compassion for every person,” the bishop of Texas, C. Andrew Doyle, said in a statement. “This priest has served both the church and the state of Texas faithfully. We are praying for his safety, for his family’s peace of mind, and for fair and humane treatment as this case moves forward.”Doyle told Religion News Service, which first reported the story, that it’s unclear why Mwangi was taken into custody, adding that the priest had a valid work permit. Religion News Service did not immediately receive a comment from the Department of Homeland Security, the publication said. In the statement, the diocese said it calls on its “representatives in power to assist.”A spokesperson for the ICE office in Houston did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Some local faith leaders have been advocating for the priest’s release, including the Rev. Blake Rider, who is rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Huntsville where Mwangi is a member.Rider said St. Stephen’s had recently planted a new church that worships in Swahili and he had met Mwangi for its outreach efforts. He added that it’s concerning that a correctional employee would be detained and that having the prison system fully staffed is a matter of general public safety.“It’s not necessarily because he’s a priest,” Rider said. “Frankly, he’s just a human being like any other detainee. It happens that he is in the United States perfectly legally, and so he needs to be released out of detention.”St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Austin posted on social media to pray for Mwangi and call representatives and senators for assistance. The Rev. Joanna DeHaan Unangst, associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands, shared a script online that supporters could use to call their elected officials and demand Mwangi’s release.“Friends, this is happening right here, right now, in our proverbial front yard,” she wrote. “This person is a priest, my colleague, in this clericus of our diocese.”