10
Loading video...
By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Two U.S. churches have drawn public attention this holiday season for nativity displays addressing immigration, prompting both praise and criticism.
Why It Matters
The Catholic Church has widely criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, describing them as a significant moral and humanitarian concern. Church leaders argue that large-scale deportations and aggressive raids disproportionately affect vulnerable families, often separating children from their parents and disrupting communities. Advocates say these actions conflict with the Church’s long-standing teachings on human dignity, the sanctity of the family, and care for society’s most marginalized.
Read More on News
What To Know
In Evanston, Illinois, Lake Street Church installed an immigration-themed Nativity scene in which the baby Jesus was depicted secured in zip ties. The display, which included traditional figures such as Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men, was intended by church officials to highlight the struggles faced by migrants and refugees, particularly families separated at U.S. borders or held in detention facilities.
...
Rev. Michael Woolf told NBC Chicago that "our baby Jesus has zip ties on his hands because that was an actual incident that happened in our city."
"Jesus was born into a context…the Roman Empire, right?" Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf said. "He immediately has to flee and go into exile and become a refugee."
Woolf has been a vocal opponent of the enforcement operations in Chicago. He was taken into custody during a protest at an ICE facility in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago, on Nov. 14, along with 20 other individuals.
Meanwhile, in Dedham, Massachusetts, St. Susanna Parish replaced its traditional nativity with an "ICE-themed" display. The manger was empty, and signs reading "ICE Was Here" were placed where the Holy Family would normally stand, prompting backlash from locals.
"This is not right, it's divisive, it's disrespectful, it takes away from the essential Christmas message," CJ Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, told WCVB.
Rev. Stephen Josoma, who came up with the idea, told Newsweek that each year the group "tries to hold a mirror up to the world around us and reflect the celebration of Christmas with the reality of the world around us."
Josoma said he sees parallels between the biblical story and modern immigration enforcement. "We see it in the work of ICE," he said, adding that parishioners have heard reports of enforcement activity targeting churches between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and of families being separated during routine school pickups.
He described accounts of individuals with no criminal records facing deportation, including some known to the parish who had rebuilt their lives after incarceration.
St. Susanna has helped resettle 10 refugee families since 2018, and Josoma said the fear among migrants, including those who have followed all legal requirements, has grown under recent enforcement efforts.
"Some of these people are now worried that, despite following all the rules to date, the current administration is retroactively changing the rules and putting them at risk of being deported to places where they would face certain violence, if not death," Josoma said.
The situation unfolds amid a backdrop of heightened tensions among communities as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement after the president’s vow to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
What People Are Saying
Rev. Stephen Josoma told Newsweek: Our bishops have spoken out strongly this year on this very topic, which is itself a bit unusual, I suspect, because they recognize the harm it brings to so many. Catholic social justice teaching is also clear and consistent, and our ministry is always guided by that. Our nativity reflects both.
Jonathan Turley, an attorney and law professor, wrote in a post on X: "It appears that literally nothing is sacred in today's unhinged politics."
Vin Kelly, an author and former DEA undercover operative, said in a post on X: "Only in Norfolk County, MA—the backdrop to the #KarenRead and #SandraBirchmore cases—would a Nativity display feature an empty manger and a sign that says, "ICE was here."
Lake Street Church said in a statement: "This installation reimagines the Nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family's refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines