Mass Deportation Fears Stop Chicago Church Services

A Chicago church has paused its in-person Spanish services over growing fears within the immigrant community of mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration.

The church, a vital space for many local immigrant families, made the decision to prioritize the safety of its parishioners, as anxiety builds over potential immigration raids in places of worship.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email outside of normal office hours.

Immigration supporters carry signs including 'We Are All Illegals!' during a New Year’s Eve rally and march on December 31, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. A Chicago church has paused its in-person Spanish services over... Mario Tama/Getty

Why It Matters

President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration are believed to be prepared to carry out immigration raids, including inside churches, as part of their mass deportation strategy. Church leaders say this threat is already causing significant concern within their communities. The suspension demonstrates a climate of uncertainty and fear affecting communities across the city amid the looming threat of deportations.

What To Know

In response to threats from the incoming Trump administration, which warned that Chicago could become the epicenter of mass deportations, Emma Lozano, an activist and pastor at Lincoln United Methodist Church, moved the church's Spanish services online, as part of the church's efforts to protect its undocumented immigrant community.

The services in English will remain in-person.

The incoming administration plans to revoke a long-standing policy that restricts Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting undocumented individuals at or near designated sensitive locations.

Three sources familiar with the plan informed NBC News that these include places of worship, schools, and hospitals.

The policy that prohibits agents from making arrests in sensitive locations without prior approval was established in 2011 by a memo from then-ICE Director John Morton. It remained in effect throughout the first Trump administration and the Biden administration.

It was designed to enable undocumented migrants to move freely in specific public spaces. In 2021, the Biden administration expanded this policy by issuing new guidance that broadened the range of areas deemed to "require special protection."

The proposal that Trump could permit ICE agents to make arrests within schools and houses of worship is outlined in Project 2025, a compilation of hard-line policy recommendations shared by The Heritage Foundation.

Francisca Lino and her family, who once filled the pews every Sunday at Lincoln United Methodist Church, now find them empty. In the past, the church served as a place of refuge for Lino, where she sought protection from the threat of deportation. But today, she says, "even that sacred space doesn't feel safe anymore."

Instead of attending in person, Lino, a mother of six and wife of a U.S. citizen, will now gather her family around a computer each week to join the church's Spanish language service virtually—an adjustment that highlights the growing sense of fear within her community.

Lino, who sought sanctuary at a Humboldt Park church in 2017 to escape deportation during Trump's first term, is scheduled to check in with immigration authorities on February 13, just weeks after Trump resumes office.

What People Are Saying

Lino said of her February 13 meeting, as per The Chicago Tribune: "I'm afraid this time, I will have to say goodbye to my family. But I hope that the Trump administration keeps their word that only criminals are deported," Lino said.

Emma Lozano, an activist and pastor at Lincoln United Methodist, told the newspaper: "We must take their threats seriously and prepare for the worst. Our worship service is going to be virtual now because we are not going to be set up so that they can come into our church and separate the children from their families. We must take their threats seriously and prepare for the worst."

Tabitha Sookdeo, Executive Director at Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) told Newsweek: "Every person in the U.S, regardless of immigration status, has fundamental rights under the Constitution. You have the right to remain silent and not answer questions about your immigration status or country of origin. You do not have to open your door to ICE agents unless they present a valid judicial warrant."

What Happens Next

Trump, who will take office in 18 days has repeatedly vowed to enact a controversial mass deportation policy as part of a hard-line immigration agenda.