Priests and Nuns Blocked from Bringing Communion at ICE Facility — So They Held A Parking Lot Vigil

Hundreds prayed outside an ICE facility after guards blocked their entry, a scene that unfolded under the shadow of Pope Leo’s plea for migrant dignity.

Hundreds of Catholic priests, nuns, and laypeople — many wearing bright yellow shirts — marched about a mile from St. Eulalia Church in Maywood to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Broadview, Illinois, on Saturday.

Their goal was simple: deliver Holy Communion to the immigrants detained inside, offering spiritual comfort to those separated from their families. The peaceful procession moved through residential streets, accompanied by hymns and prayers, carrying banners of Our Lady of Guadalupe (dubbed “La Virgen Migrante”) as a symbol of hope and solidarity with migrants.

At the detention center gates, Illinois State Police officers relayed the clergy’s request to federal officials — only to have ICE deny the delegation entry with no explanation given.

Organizers noted that Illinois law guarantees ministers “reasonable access” to people in detention for spiritual care, making the refusal especially jarring.

Upon hearing that Communion was barred, the crowd of about a thousand faithful responded with dismay, chanting “Shame! Shame!” outside the chain-link fence.

Unable to share the Eucharist with those behind bars, the priests and supporters held a makeshift Communion service in the parking lot, praying that the detainees could at least hear their songs and be strengthened by the gesture of solidarity.

“We’re just very disappointed because we simply wanted to bring the love of God and the presence of the Eucharist to these prisoners… So they’re basically rejecting us bringing the presence of Christ and the love of God,” lamented Father Larry Dowling, one of the participating priests.

Sarah Rand, a spokesperson for the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (which organized the event), said this denial comes after weeks of ICE blocking all clergy visits.

“ICE has completely shut down and [is] not allowing any ministers inside to provide communion and religious support for many weeks now,” Rand reported.

The Broadview facility has been the site of intense demonstrations for the past month, ever since the Trump administration launched a stepped-up deportation campaign in the Chicago area under the name “Operation Midway Blitz.”

Federal agents — even backed by National Guard troops — have clashed with protesters there in recent weeks, using tactics like tear gas and rubber bullets in confrontations that often stretch from pre-dawn hours into the night.

Yet amidst this tense crackdown, local people of faith continue to show up in peace, determined to affirm the dignity of their immigrant brothers and sisters.

Pope Leo’s Call for Migrant Dignity

This dramatic standoff at the detention center unfolded just days after Pope Leo XIV delivered an impassioned message in Rome, urging Chicago’s leaders to defend vulnerable immigrants.

Meeting with a delegation of labor union officials from his native Chicago, the pope implored them to welcome minorities and stand in solidarity with migrants.

“I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable,” Leo said — a pointed appeal coming as aggressive ICE operations sweep through his hometown.

Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich, who accompanied the delegation, affirmed that Leo wants all U.S. bishops “to speak with one voice” against unjust crackdowns on the undocumented. “This has to be front and center right now. This is the issue of the day,” Cupich emphasized of the Church’s moral duty.

Catholic leaders nationwide have likewise denounced the administration’s hardline tactics, which have split up families and spread fear in immigrant communities.

Pope Leo’s plea for compassion and unity in defending migrants’ dignity could not have been timelier.

In Broadview, his words were heeded when ordinary Catholics prayed and sang outside a jail to uphold the humanity of strangers.

The faithful who processed with the Eucharist — even when barred from entering — embodied the very principle the pope voiced: that immigrants are neighbors, not numbers, and that no walls or policies should strip them of their God-given dignity.

Though a chain-link fence and a line of guards stood between the Communion-bearers and the detainees, the act of witness itself spoke volumes.

It was a testament that in the face of policies of exclusion, the Church will persist in reaching out to those on the margins, reaffirming that we all share a common dignity as human beings.

By standing together in prayerful protest, Chicago’s faithful put their beliefs into action — answering Pope Leo’s call to refuse to be complicit in cruelty and to uphold the sacred worth of every migrant.

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