A group of Catholic faith leaders has filed a federal lawsuit after being denied access to migrants held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) site in Broadview, Illinois. The suit, filed Nov. 19, seeks the right for clergy to enter the facility to pray with detainees and distribute holy Communion, according to reporting from Catholic News Agency.
The complaint argues that the government’s refusal violates multiple federal protections for religious exercise, including the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. According to the report, clergy had formally requested permission to enter the facility ahead of All Saints’ Day and attempted to visit on Nov. 1, but ICE officials denied entry.
Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz, executive director of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, said years of established ministry were being ignored. He stated that “recent months have brought shifting, contradictory, and often opaque communication from DHS and ICE officials,” and added, “we were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit,” according to CNA.
When asked whether a court order would be required to allow Communion inside the facility, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment directly. “I will not engage in hypotheticals about Broadview’s policies,” said Nate Madden, DHS principal deputy assistant secretary for communications. He referred faith leaders to ICE, noting that “all religious leaders and religious people who want to come and take pastoral care … can reach out to ICE,” according to CNA.
The dispute comes as a separate federal court process continues to scrutinize conditions at the Broadview site. Earlier this month, Judge Robert W. Gettleman issued a temporary restraining order requiring DHS and ICE to improve sanitation, provide hygiene supplies, and ensure detainees receive adequate meals and potable water, according to the CNA report. The judge also mandated that paperwork provided to detainees include Spanish translations.
While the hearing on facility conditions was postponed to December, the judge granted class action status to the case, allowing the named plaintiffs to represent all migrants processed at Broadview. Legal groups involved in the case, including the ACLU of Illinois, said they remain focused on ensuring that migrants “are treated with dignity, have access to counsel, and are provided due process,” according to CNA.
However, the court has not yet addressed the religious-access concerns raised by Catholic leaders and detainees. According to the lawsuit, clergy who “provided pastoral care to individuals detained inside Broadview” for years are now prohibited from entering, even “from outside,” despite repeated requests for entry.
On Nov. 1, Chicago Auxiliary Bishop José María García-Maldonado and several clergy attempted to visit detainees but were not admitted, even though requests had been submitted weeks in advance, according to the report.
Pope Leo XIV recently emphasized the importance of spiritual care for migrants in detention. “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people,” he said, noting that many detainees have been separated from their families and that “their own spiritual needs should be attended to,” according to CNA.
The U.S. bishops also issued a message Nov. 12 urging that the dignity of migrants be respected.
As the lawsuit moves forward, Catholic leaders say they remain committed to restoring access so that detainees are not deprived of the sacraments or spiritual support during a vulnerable time in their lives.
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