Report: ICE Plans to Raid Churches This Holiday Season

Parishioners in churches across the country may be getting a deportation notice in their Christmas stocking this year.

At a time normally marked by Advent candles, children’s holiday pageants, and other comforting rituals of the season, many immigrant families now face a very different kind of anticipation: the fear that worship itself may no longer be safe.

According to reports, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to ramp up raids on undocumented immigrants attending church this holiday season. Churches, long considered “sensitive locations” where enforcement was rare, are reportedly now fair game.

Faith leaders say the prospect has cast a shadow over one of the holiest and most communal periods of the year, turning sanctuaries into potential sites of sudden separation and grief rather than refuge and celebration.

The Plan and Its Scope

According to sources at the news outlet This Week in Worcester, Department of Justice offices across the northeast – including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York – were briefed on a plan to carry out raids at churches between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They say the planned sweeps are not region-limited and will likely be nationwide.

The sources also allege that the Trump Administration is trying to recruit Hispanic pastors at Southern Baptist churches to publicly back them in an attempt to garner Latino support.

The church raids may already be underway. In Charlotte, North Carolina, federal agents, apparently under an enforcement surge dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” recently arrested dozens of undocumented immigrants. In at least one case, they made an arrest on church premises.

One pastor described masked agents arriving while his congregation members were doing yard work and children were inside the sanctuary, sending a surge of fear throughout the congregation, even amongst those here legally.

Panicked families fled into the woods and children cried as their parents were arrested in front of them.

“We thought church was safe and nothing [was] gonna happen,” said 15-year-old witness Miguel Vasquez. “But it did happen.”

Why Churches? Why Now?

Previously, ICE maintained internal policy guidance that designated churches as “sensitive locations” where immigration enforcement is limited. However, this policy was effectively rescinded in early 2025.

When that happened, some Spanish-language churches ceased in-person operations entirely and went to streaming to protect members of their flock who might be undocumented.

Critics say the new strategy seems intended to cause maximum disruption, targeting congregations attended by Spanish-speakers or with large immigrant communities.

Those opposed to the crackdown warn that ICE agents are trying to take immigrants off guard, both by going to places previously viewed as "off limits" for immigration enforcement, and by upping enforcement in the holiday window when more people are attending services. 

What’s at Stake for Congregations

For immigrants who attend church services, the implications are profound. The sudden presence of ICE on church grounds disrupts the assumption that a house of worship offers some protection. For pastors and faith leaders, there’s a balancing act: supporting immigrant members, navigating relationships with law-enforcement agencies, and preserving the church’s mission of welcome and refuge. 

The timing could not be more sensitive. The holiday season is when churches typically emphasize themes of sanctuary, hospitality, and community.

Church leaders say if congregants are worried that worship itself may bring risk of detention or deportation, the spiritual and communal fabric of their congregation is under strain. In effect, what should be a season of peace is warped into a season of paranoia and fear.

The unfolding reports suggest that enforcement within places of worship, once a rare occurrence, is now fully entering the federal playbook. For faith communities, especially those serving immigrant populations, this moment poses serious questions with few easy answers:

What does sanctuary mean when immigration enforcement enters the pews? How do we reconcile scriptural mandates of welcome with the fear of separation? And what happens if the church is no longer the safe haven it once was?