On a crisp Friday morning in late October 2025, the quiet suburb of Broadview, Illinois, became the epicenter of a national debate as more than four dozen ministers gathered outside the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Their purpose? To pray for the detainees inside and call for the repentance of the federal agents who arrested them. Over 200 people attended the worship service, lending a powerful voice to the growing movement of religious opposition to the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, known as Operation Midway Blitz.
Throughout October, clergy from a spectrum of faiths hosted prayer services at Broadview every Friday. Their message grew sharper each week, shifting from supportive words for Chicago’s immigrant community to outright condemnation of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) tactics. According to the Chicago Tribune, this movement gained momentum as Operation Midway Blitz entered its eighth week, with local faith leaders denouncing what they described as increasingly aggressive and inhumane immigration enforcement.
Chicago native Pope Leo XIV entered the fray this month, addressing the mistreatment of immigrants in a pointed speech. While acknowledging the right of nations to protect their borders, the pontiff emphasized a moral obligation to provide refuge. “With the abuse of vulnerable migrants, we are not witnessing the legitimate exercise of national sovereignty, but rather serious crimes committed or tolerated by the state,” he declared, as reported by the Holy See. “Christianity, on the other hand, refers to the God of love, who makes us all brothers and sisters and asks us to live as brothers and sisters.”
Locally, more than 250 Christian clergy members signed an open letter titled “Jesus was tear gassed at Broadview,” condemning ICE’s tactics. The letter referenced tumultuous protests at the ICE facility, some ending with federal agents deploying pepper balls, rubber bullets, and tear gas at demonstrators. The letter concluded with a call for repentance from the Trump administration and ICE: “They can set aside their indifference and cruelty.… They can give up their pepper spray and rubber bullets. They can choose not to do this, cross to the other side of the fence and join us for Communion.”
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, a long-standing advocate for immigrant rights, echoed these sentiments in a statement released on October 21. “Families are being torn apart. Children are left in fear, and communities are shaken by immigration raids and detentions. These actions wound the soul of our city,” Cupich wrote, reaffirming the church’s support for migrants and denouncing the tactics used to detain them. The cardinal also addressed undocumented immigrants directly, stating, “Most of you have been here for years. You have worked hard. You have raised families. You have contributed to this nation. You have earned our respect. As the Archbishop of Chicago, I will insist that you be treated with dignity.”
Fear among Chicago’s immigrant communities intensified after ICE agents were reportedly seen outside St. Jerome Parish in Rogers Park during a Spanish-language Mass earlier in October. Parishioners voiced alarm, and Cupich described the incident as an example of tactics meant to “create fear and terror in people that’s unnecessary.” Homeland Security officials, however, insisted that Border Patrol did not target the church nor conduct enforcement actions there. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the immigration enforcement blitz, stating it was aimed at “removing vicious criminals from our communities, and it is keeping all Chicagoans, including his (parishioners), safe from criminal illegal alien violence.”
Yet, studies have shown that many people arrested during nationwide sweeps have been American citizens or had no criminal record, complicating the narrative of targeted enforcement. Tensions at Broadview escalated further when clergy attempted to bring Holy Communion to detainees earlier in October but were rebuffed by Homeland Security, citing safety concerns and recent protests. A federal judge in Chicago criticized the Trump administration’s description of protests outside Broadview as “simply unreliable,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Rev. Lucas Hergert of North Shore Unitarian Church, who co-authored the clergy letter and helped lead the service at Broadview, recounted a particularly troubling incident: Pastor David Black of First Presbyterian Church in Woodlawn was struck in the head by a pepper pellet fired by agents from the roof, an event captured on video. “The clergy presence has only continued to grow. What’s happened at Broadview has really catalyzed a number of religious leaders,” Hergert explained. “It’s a wide continuum, from mainline to liberal to even some conservative ministers who are coming forward to say that what DHS is doing is absolutely antithetical to the Gospel.”
Attempts to provide spiritual care to detainees have been repeatedly thwarted. In early October, Protestant clergy held an interfaith service at Broadview and tried to bring Holy Communion inside, but were refused. On October 11, a Eucharistic procession of over 1,000 Catholics and other Christians marched from St. Eulalia Catholic Church in Maywood to Broadview, singing and praying in English and Spanish. A smaller delegation attempted to bring Communion inside but was again turned away by DHS, which cited insufficient notice and safety concerns.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois is now investigating reports that religious leaders have been blocked from providing spiritual care and that detainees have been denied access to worship. “The Constitution does not stop at the gates of Broadview. The right to practice one’s faith without government interference applies to everyone, including those in immigration custody,” said ACLU spokesperson Ed Yohnka.
Nationally, the Catholic Church has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. In a February letter to U.S. bishops, Pope Francis described the administration’s mass deportations as a “major crisis,” warning that deporting people who fled poverty, insecurity, or persecution “damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.” Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez reported that anxiety over potential raids had caused a 30% drop in Mass attendance and participation in church programs among immigrants.
On October 22, Catholics across the country participated in “One Church, One Family: Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants,” holding prayer vigils and rosary recitations at immigration detention centers. Another similar event is planned for November 13, the feast day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants.
Meanwhile, local clergy in the Chicago area remain undeterred. The Coalition for Spirituality and Public Life plans to celebrate Mass outside the Broadview ICE facility on November 1 and will again attempt to bring Holy Communion to detainees. “We’re trying to practice our faith and that’s why we’re insisting,” said the Rev. David Inczauskis, a Jesuit priest involved in the efforts. “The hope of Jesus Christ is what propels us to do what we do. … So we are not going to stop fighting.”
The ongoing standoff at Broadview is emblematic of a larger national reckoning — one that pits the imperatives of law enforcement and border security against the enduring call for compassion, dignity, and religious freedom. As faith leaders and government officials continue to clash, the voices of Chicago’s immigrant community, and those who advocate for them, remain resolute in their demand for justice and humanity.
