Several churches across the country are setting up nativity scenes this holiday season that make a political statement about immigration enforcement, with some depicting the Holy Family as missing or detained.
These nativity displays come as faith leaders continue to advocate for immigrant communities amid the Trump administration's aggressive immigration agenda.
At St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, the traditional nativity scene is empty except for a sign reading "ICE was here" and noting "the Holy Family is safe in the sanctuary of our church."
Similarly, at Urban Village Church in River Forest, Illinois, the nativity scene displays a sign stating: "Due to ICE activity in our community, the Holy Family is in hiding."
Another at Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, shows a more dramatic scene where baby Jesus is zip-tied and wrapped in an emergency blanket, separated from his parents by a wire fence. Mary and Joseph wear gas masks, while figures representing Romans wear makeshift vests labeled "ICE."
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In a Facebook post, Lake Street Church explained their installation "is not subtle because the crisis it addresses is not abstract."
"The Holy Family were refugees," the post continues. "By witnessing this familiar story through the reality faced by migrants today, we hope to restore its radical edge, and to ask what it means to celebrate the birth of a refugee child while turning away those who follow in that child's footsteps."
Abby Holcombe, site pastor at Urban Village Church just outside Chicago, told Scripps News she intentionally created the nativity showing the Holy Family as missing after seeing the display at St. Susanna Parish.
"I was very intentional when when I made the sign to just like say the facts. There has been ICE activity in our community. And if a child who is brown, who was born into a refugee family today in the Chicagoland area, they would probably be in hiding if not already disappeared. And that's not a political statement. That's just stating the facts. If that's a political statement, then Jesus' life was political," Holcombe said.
Since President Trump's second term, houses of worship and faith leaders have increasingly entered the debate around immigration policy in the U.S.
Holcombe pointed to the United Methodist Church updated its stance on immigration at the start of President Trump's second term. The statement "urged United Methodists to welcome migrants, refugees and immigrants into their congregations and commit themselves to providing concrete support, including help with navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment and other kinds of support."
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Last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a special message for the first time in 12 years, opposing "indiscriminate mass deportation," advocating for "meaningful immigration reform," and calling for an end to "dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement."
ICE acting Director Todd Lyons criticized nativity display outside of St. Susanna Parish, calling the pastor an "activist reverend" and saying his actions "are absolutely abhorrent" and add to dangerous narratives responsible for assaults on ICE officers.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston told the Dedham church to remove the ICE-related sign. However, the church's pastor says the nativity scene aligns with the U.S. Catholic Bishops' message on immigration and that it has received overwhelming support from parishioners.
