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DHS Is planning ICe raids at Churches over the Holidays
Reports indicate that ICE and CBP may be planning immigration raids targeting Spanish-speaking churches over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even the rumor of such actions has deeply unsettled congregations during what is meant to be a season of joy and anticipation.
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According to three DOJ attorneys, internal briefings have circulated describing enforcement at Spanish-language Christian services nationwide. Their warning resonated after 81 arrests in Charlotte — including one on church grounds — suggesting that church spaces may no longer be treated as places of refuge.
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Throughout New England, pastors say agents have appeared at their doors requesting personal information about congregants. Some churches have also received unexpected mailers promoting a CBP app connected to “voluntary self-deportation,” deepening concern and confusion.
This climate of fear has taken a real spiritual and emotional toll. A viral audio message in Atlanta predicting large raids pushed one small Pentecostal congregation into panic, with some churches canceling services altogether. Across the country, parents now hesitate to bring their children to Christmas worship, and ministries that once reached joyfully into the community are being scaled back.
Churches have long been sanctuaries — places where people can always find prayer, community, and protection. Surveillance or targeting of these sacred spaces cuts at the very heart of Christian teaching, which calls believers to welcome the stranger and defend the vulnerable.
As Advent begins and families prepare for Christmas, many immigrant communities are instead entering the season with fear. This holy time calls us to stand beside our brothers and sisters in Christ and to remember that Jesus commands us to love our neighbor.