On the dusty backroads straddling the border of Michoacán and Jalisco, Mexico, a dramatic police raid on September 23, 2025, has thrown the spotlight back onto the controversial religious organization La Luz del Mundo. Authorities detained 38 men—among them, a U.S. citizen—who, according to officials, were conducting tactical military-style training to protect their church, its leaders, and its temples. The incident, which unfolded in the municipality of Vista Hermosa, has reignited debate over the church's influence, its controversial leadership, and the ongoing legal battles that span both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The operation was no small affair. According to the Michoacán State Public Security Secretariat, the raid was a coordinated effort involving the Mexican Army, National Guard, state police, and prosecutors. The officers moved in following reports from local residents who had grown uneasy about what appeared to be a military training camp in their midst. Many feared the site was connected to organized crime, given the presence of men in black shirts and what looked like real firearms. As it turned out, most of the weapons seized—19 replica firearms, along with knives, tactical gear, and even explosive simulators—were props, but authorities also confiscated a real handgun and a vehicle.
During the inspection, the detainees identified themselves as members of La Luz del Mundo, a Christian church founded in Jalisco in 1926. The group, which claims five million followers across more than 50 countries, has long been a subject of scrutiny, particularly as allegations of abuse and criminal activity have mounted against its leadership. The men, who hailed from several Mexican states including Jalisco, Nayarit, Guerrero, and Estado de México, as well as one from the United States, told police that their purpose was to train in order to "protect the members of their faith, their leaders, their temples, and their events."
Media footage from the night of the arrests shows a somber procession: dozens of patrol cars and security agents escorting the suspects—some appearing to be teenagers—into the State Prosecutor’s Office in Morelia, the capital of Michoacán. The men, mostly clad in black, walked calmly in single file, watched closely by officers. According to El País, local residents had tipped off authorities after noticing suspicious activities and a steady stream of unfamiliar faces entering the training grounds. From a distance, the replica weapons looked all too real, fueling community fears.
The timing of the raid was no coincidence. It occurred on the very day that Naasón Joaquín García, the embattled leader of La Luz del Mundo, was standing before a federal court in New York. García, whom devotees revere as the "apostle" of Jesus Christ, pleaded not guilty to charges of organized crime and child exploitation—just the latest in a string of legal woes that have followed him and his family. In 2022, García was sentenced in Los Angeles to 16 years in prison after admitting to the sexual abuse of three minors. The indictment in New York goes further, alleging that García, along with his 79-year-old mother, Eva García de Joaquín, and his nephew, Joram Núñez Joaquín, operated a sex trafficking ring that preyed on young female followers in both Mexico and the United States. The charges describe 13 anonymous victims, some as young as 13, and suggest that García’s father and grandfather—both deceased—engaged in similar abuses during their leadership.
The church, for its part, has vigorously denied the allegations. In a statement, La Luz del Mundo condemned the U.S. Department of Justice’s charges against García as "unfounded, slanderous, and calumnious." The organization has also protested what it calls the "unjust imprisonment" of García’s relatives, claiming that authorities are "capable of twisting the law, harming the apostle’s family to coerce him." García’s attorney, Alan Jackson, echoed this sentiment, describing the indictment as "a reckless campaign of government overreach." According to The Associated Press, Jackson maintains that the prosecution is the result of "a campaign of imprudent government overreach."
Yet, the controversy surrounding La Luz del Mundo is not limited to its leadership. Testimonies from former members and insiders—most speaking under the condition of anonymity—have described the existence of a secretive internal security force known as the Jahzer group. This unit, reportedly composed of members from both Mexico and the United States, has allegedly been responsible for protecting the church’s hierarchy, their families, and ensuring security at large-scale religious events. The detainees in Vista Hermosa claimed to be part of this group, tasked with safeguarding the church’s interests. Despite their insistence that their mission was purely defensive, the discovery of a paramilitary-style training camp has raised eyebrows among law enforcement and the public alike.
The church’s reach extends far beyond Mexico’s borders. According to the indictment and media reports, La Luz del Mundo operates branches in numerous U.S. states, including California, New York, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. The indictment alleges that members were warned of eternal punishment if they doubted or defied García’s teachings—a claim that prosecutors say helped maintain control and secrecy within the organization.
The legal and reputational fallout continues to ripple through Mexican society and beyond. At least two women elected as judges in Jalisco in mid-2025 have been linked to La Luz del Mundo, according to the local group Defensorxs, raising concerns about the church’s influence in public institutions. Meanwhile, the church’s followers remain fiercely loyal. During the raid and subsequent legal proceedings, members have staged protests and issued public statements defending García and his family, insisting on their innocence and framing the legal actions as religious persecution.
As the 38 detainees await the outcome of their legal situation in Morelia, the broader investigation into La Luz del Mundo’s activities shows no sign of slowing. Prosecutors in New York have recently expanded their case, bringing new charges against García’s relatives and alleged accomplices. The church’s leadership, for now, remains defiant, but the mounting evidence and continued law enforcement attention suggest that the days ahead may bring further revelations—and possibly more arrests.
This episode, unfolding against the backdrop of dirt roads and rural landscapes, underscores the complex intersection of faith, power, and the law. For the residents of Vista Hermosa and the millions who follow La Luz del Mundo, the story is far from over. The world, it seems, is watching closely.