‘The holy family is in hiding’: nativity scenes at US churches push back on ICE | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Satirical holiday displays mocking Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, depicting newborn Jesus and his parents Mary and Joseph as victims of heavy-handed tactics by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have popped up across the United States.
In a stunning retelling of the Christmas story, at the Lake Street church in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, the baby Jesus is seen lying in a manger in the snow — but wrapped in the thin, foil blankets given to ICE detainees in emergencies and as bedding on a regular basis, and with his wrists zipped up.
The figure of Mary stands just outside the church, wearing the gas mask that anti-ICE protesters wear to protect against tear gas. Next to it are figures of the Roman soldiers who arrested the biblical Jesus before his execution; but those in the exhibit are now wearing tactical vests labeled “ICE.”
Elsewhere in Chicago, at the Urban Village church, models of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are nowhere to be seen in the traditional nativity scene, alongside camels, donkeys, shepherds and wise men carrying gifts. Instead, there’s a sign that reads: “The Holy Family is in hiding due to ICE activity in our community.”
The demonstrations are an extension of the prominent role played by faith leaders, particularly in Chicago and New York, in recent protests against aggressive federal immigration enforcement.
Similar political statements are being made in churches in other states. At St Susanna’s parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, the tiny figure of Jesus was removed from the nativity scene. In its place is a hand-painted sign: “ICE was here.”
Catholic church remains defiant despite complaints from local archdiocese and local ICE leaders media reported.
Portraying the ancient story of Jesus’ nativity in a contemporary political context helps draw attention to the Trump administration’s agenda, according to some people behind the demonstrations. They say the holy family’s refugee status represents the real fears and experiences of families in their community, including separation from loved ones and deportation of working family members that results in loss of income.
Lake Street’s senior minister, Michael Woolf, said Christmas was a time when “public art is displayed on the lawn and we have the opportunity to say things”. He said the Baptist congregation created another nativity scene last year showing Jesus lying under rubble. He said it was a “demand for peace” in Gaza.
During the first Trump administration in 2018, parishioners at St. Susanna’s erected a display featuring the caged baby Jesus, replicating the president’s policy at the time of separating immigrant families and locking children at the US-Mexico border.
Another year, they described The body of Jesus floating in plastic-polluted water at a protest to highlight the climate crisis.
Part of St Susanna multiple churches refugee support committee She has been working with refugee families since 2019, helping many of them find accommodation, enroll in school, learn English and secure jobs.
Meanwhile, at the United Methodist church in Evanston, the figure of Joseph was blown away in a storm and was too damaged to be replaced. A sign reads: “Joseph failed to do this. We hold this space to honor and remember all victims of immigration enforcement terrorism.”
Jillian Westerfield, the church’s associate minister, said critics either didn’t fully understand the message or “found it really taxing on their conscience and attacked the art rather than dealing with what the real message was.”
Associated Press contributed reporting
