Leader of Pro-Trump Prayer Group Joining ‘Faith Leaders’ Trip to U.S.-Mexico Border

Intercessors for America's Dave Kubal (Image from April 5, 2019 "First Friday" prayer call.)

Intercessors for America, which mobilizes conservative Christian “prayer warriors” to support President Donald Trump and other right-wing politicians and policies, announced on Saturday that the group’s leader, Dave Kubal, will be part of a Trump administration field trip to the U.S.-Mexico border this week for a “small group” of “faith leaders.”

The “faith leaders” border trip comes amid news reports that Stephen Miller, an anti-immigration hard-liner in the White House, had orchestrated the ouster of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Neilson as well as Trump’s recent withdrawal of his nomination of acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ronald Vitiello to lead the agency—all so that Team Trump can push an even “tougher” and more aggressive border policy.

IFA has been intensely pro-Trump. Last year it urged its followers to pray that Trump would “rule” in the midst of his “enemies,” which IFA said “is the same decree that King David prophesied in his own nation concerning the coming Messiah.” Last summer, IFA promoted a Breitbart article claiming that the Trump administration’s family separation policy was required by law, just as Trump was signing an executive order ending the policy. IFA has also promoted “deep state” conspiracy theories.

Kubal has described IFA’s “intercessory activism” during the Trump administration as moving from praying “defensively for protection from the government” to being “in a season to pray offensively to see great advances of the kingdom of God to be advanced through our government.”

In its post about Kubal joining the trip to the border, IFA asked its “intercessors” to pray for several things:

  • For the Church along the border to be mobilized and encouraged in caring for and sharing the Gospel with waiting immigrants
  • For God to use this trip to develop relationships in order to fulfill His plan for the people at the border–the Border Patrol agents, the Church, and the immigrants
  • For the Gospel to be shared and received among all of those who are a part of this crisis
  • Safety

IFA, which has said it wants to make the Trump administration the most prayed-for in history, devoted several of its prayer conference calls – which can draw more than 1,000 participants according to Kubal – to praying for conservative victories in the 2018 midterm elections. It published a guide to electing “godly” candidates in 2018.