Dedham, Massachusetts– One of the baby Jesus lies in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket and his wrists bound with zippers. Mary stands nearby outside Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, wearing a plastic gas mask and surrounded by Roman soldiers wearing tactical vests emblazoned with “ICE.”
In another Chicago suburb, not far from the ICE facility that sparked protests over the arrests, a sign on the manger outside Urban Village Church reads: “Due to ICE activity in our community, Holy Family is in hiding.” More than a thousand miles away, the Christ Child disappeared from the nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, replaced by a hand-painted sign: “ICE WAS HERE.”
These and other stark reimaginings of Christ’s birth are drawing praise and outrage as churches turn a Christmas tableau into a commentary on federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Its creators say they place the ancient story in a contemporary setting, portraying the Holy Family as refugees to reflect on the fear of separation and deportation that many families — including their parishioners — experience today.
Supporters of the shows say the Bible is on their side, but critics call the scenes sacrilegious and politically divisive, accuse churches of misusing sacred images, and some argue they should lose their tax-exempt status. The Diocese of Massachusetts ordered that the manger “must be restored to its proper sacred purpose.”
This debate comes as immigration enforcement intensifies in states and cities whose leaders object to the crackdown on immigration. In September alone, at least 2,000 people were arrested in Illinois and Massachusetts, according to federal arrest figures published by immigration authorities.
For churches, Christmas is a time “when we put public artwork in the park and get a chance to say something,” said the Rev. Michael Wolfe, senior priest at Lake Street. Another nativity scene created by the Baptist group last year showed Jesus under rubble — a “call for peace” in Gaza, he said.
St. Susanna parishioners caged baby Jesus in 2018 to protest how President Donald Trump’s first administration separated families at the border. Another year, they filmed a baby floating in plastic-polluted water to highlight climate change.
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning ordered the display removed this year. As of Thursday, Father Steve Gosoma was seeking a meeting and had yet to comply.
“The people of God have the right to expect that when they come to church, they will encounter real opportunities for Catholic prayer and worship — not divisive political messages,” a diocese spokesman said.
Some Catholic activists want the priest punished.
“It’s actually a serious scandal for Catholics, and I think he’s playing with fire,” said CJ Doyle, director of the Massachusetts Catholic Action League. “The archbishop can remove him as priest, suspend him from active ministry — and he can even close the parish and sell the property directly from under his control.”
The purpose of the show, Josoma said, is to move beyond “traditional, static figures and evoke emotion and dialogue” in response to the fear many parishioners face as federal forces round up more illegal immigrants, sweep up long-time legal residents and spread anxiety.
In Illinois, an arrest campaign led to bystanders suffocating from chemical sprays and traumatized children at the site of neighbors and teachers, prompting state and local investigations.
“We wanted to reflect kind of the reality that our community is experiencing,” said Jillian Westerfield, associate minister at Evanston United Methodist Church.
After Joseph’s personality exploded and Mary was left alone with the child, they posted an explanatory sign: “Joseph did not make it. We are establishing this distance to honor and remember all victims of immigration enforcement terrorism.”
Critics either don’t fully understand the message or “find it a real challenge to their conscience and attack the art rather than deal with the actual message,” Westerfeld said.
Long-standing relationships make the parish resolute in maintaining the supply, said Phil Mandeville, a St. Susanna parish councilor and coordinator of the multi-church refugee support committee.
The committee has worked with about ten refugee families since 2019, helping them find housing, enroll in school, learn English, and secure work. He said much of the effort is being made in partnership with the federal government, which undergoes extensive screening of families before they arrive.
“Just to underscore the reason behind all this, it’s not a trick,” Mandeville said. “We work every day with refugees. But people are upset by a little bit of plaster. I care more about the individuals than I do about the manger scene. I understand what it represents – I don’t understand why no one cares about these human beings.”
He added: “Look at the Gospel right before the execution of Christ. That was political.” “We’ve always been taught: When you’re not sure how to act, ask: What would Christ do?” “Now we do it, and it doesn’t seem so ridiculous.”
The controversy in Evanston attracted volunteers from a nearby synagogue, who stood outside during Lake Street services to help congregants feel safe. Reaction outside the Dedham church ranged widely.
Walter Niland took a selfie and said he disagreed with the offer. “I think the church has tax-exempt status,” said Niland, a Catholic from a nearby town. “We should be talking about spiritual matters, not matters of political division.”
Others came to challenge parishioners directly, including one man who live-streamed his attempt to slam the closed doors of the church.
Steve Greger, a former Catholic teacher, drove an hour from Worcester to show his support.
“The diocese says: ‘No, this goes against our tradition.’” Well, we live in quite abnormal times. “We can’t proceed as usual,” Greger said. “If we’re following the scriptures of Jesus, we have to realize that the ICE raids, and all these terrible things that are happening, are completely inconsistent with that.”
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Bargfield reported from Evanston.