Erin Hooley AP
CORRECTION Immigration Chicago
Greg Bovino, the chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol El Centro sector, right, walks beside the Rev. David Swanson, left, with his hands behind his back, near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt:I am the Lord your God.Leviticus 19:33-34
Mountain Sky Conference | Dec. 03, 2025
We continue to receive reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity throughout the country, most notability and recently in Charlotte, NC, and concerns of canvassing church grounds planned by DHS (the Department of Homeland Security).
As we plan for worship and community gatherings, below are a few resources for our preparation. The best way to move through an encounter with ICE on your church property is to be prepared and organized. A small group with specific roles is a great first step to move through any potentially disruptive situation and is ideal when managing a visit from ICE.Encounter Team members should include:
Encounter Team Lead: A person who is the point person for the Encounter Team, coordinating activities between the individual team members. This person should be clear and focused, able to organize people in a calm direct manner.
ICE Communicator: A person whose job it is to interact with the ICE agent/s. Make sure this person knows to ask for a signed Judicial Warrant to access church property. An Administrative Warrant is not sufficient.
Rapid Response Caller: A person whose job it is to call the Rapid Response Hotline for your area. Identify the correct number and have it readily available.
Encounter Recorder: A person whose job it is to record the entire encounter. Make sure to delegate this to someone who is device savvy.
Safety Guide: A person whose job it is to alert and move people to private spaces within the church. Before an encounter happens, designate offices first, and then classrooms to hold people in safety.
Property Monitors: People posted in the church and on the church grounds whose job it is to alert the Team Lead if ICE agents approach.
As we enter the season of Advent our churches will be filled with with gatherings, activities and worship services, please take a moment to pause and work with the leadership in your church so that if ICE visits, you will know how to handle the encounter.
The Rev. Betty Nguyen is Mountain Sky Conference's Superintendent of Advocacy and Community Engagement. This post is republished from the Mountain Sky Conference website.