Chicago congregation, rattled by ICE raids, reports surge in worship attendance for confirmations

[Episcopal News Service] In-person attendance has been down significantly this year at the two Sunday services, one in Spanish and the other bilingual, at Saint Teresa de Avila Episcopal Church on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Illinois.

The congregation’s leaders can spell the reason with three letters: ICE.

Saint Theresa de Avila’s mostly Latino worshippers already were on edge this year as President Donald Trump’s administration prioritized Chicago for aggressively pursuing immigrant arrests and deportations. Then in September, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, dramatically expanded its presence in the city and escalated its enforcement activity, including military-style raids.

“It certainly has had an impact, and we don’t know how long this is going to go on like this,” the Rev. Gary Cox, Saint Teresa de Avila’s vicar, told Episcopal News Service. He estimates Sunday worship attendance is down 50-75% this year.

Fewer than 20 people attended the two services at Saint Teresa de Avila on Oct. 26. Cox said many members are staying home, choosing instead to participate in the livestream of the congregation’s worship on Facebook. Worshippers who still attend in person have been on alert, especially since ICE was spotted in the neighborhood a few weeks ago.

All those fears, however, took a back seat on Nov. 2 when the congregation welcomed Bishop Diane Jardin Bruce, who was visiting Chicago from the Diocese of Los Angeles. On behalf of Chicago Bishop Paula Clark, Bruce presided at the congregation’s two confirmation services. Attendance swelled to about 80 people as four people were confirmed.

“It was really wonderful. I have not seen the church that filled in a long time,” the Rev. Sandra Castillo, an assistant priest at Saint Teresa de Avila, told ENS. She also serves the Diocese of Chicago as canon for migration ministries.

The diocese also received encouraging news last week when a member who had been held in immigrant detention for weeks was released from custody. Willian Alberto Giménez Gonzalez, a member of St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church on Chicago’s South Side, was freed after a federal judge said ICE didn’t have the right to detain him indefinitely without a bond hearing.

With ICE patrols reported throughout the city this fall, the Diocese of Chicago has sought to protect its members from unlawful enforcement actions through a variety of measures, such as text alert networks, rapid response teams of volunteers and “know your rights” training sessions led by Castillo, a retired lawyer.

“We’re doing as much as we can,” Castillo said. “People are really going out of their way … to warn people and protect people.”

The increased ICE presence starting in September has been tied to an enforcement action that the Department of Homeland Security dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” Since then, local officials, Democratic state legislators, immigrant advocates and residents have accused the Trump administration of heavy-handed tactics that have sometimes involved detentions of people with no criminal records or immigration violations.

On Sept. 24, Clark said her diocese was canceling its annual Latino Liturgy out of concern for worshippers.

“I am humbled and sobered by the reminder that, for many in our diocese, the increased presence and aggressive tactics of ICE are a source of paralyzing fear that threatens personal safety, family well-being, and even the freedom to practice one’s faith,” Clark said at the time. “In light of this, I ask your continued prayers: for courage, for comfort, and for trust in God’s providence. May we stand in solidarity with those who find themselves in danger simply by tending to the daily rhythms of life.”

Cox said the immigration arrests also have upended the regular vendor fairs that Saint Teresa de Avlia hosts on church grounds. The vendors no longer feel comfortable setting up their stands there, and attendance also is down at the congregation’s outdoor fundraising events.

The fear goes beyond neighbors with uncertain legal status, Cox said. Even American citizens and immigrants with legal residency are concerned about getting swept up in ICE raids. They “are at risk just because they’re Latino and because they live in this area,” Cox said.

The congregation was particularly rattled by reports that a man was detained by ICE in an alley across from the church, and ICE has conducted enforcement actions in other parts of the city’s Southwest Side within a mile or two of Saint Teresa de Avila.

An Oct. 25 service honoring St. Jude was moved from the church building to a member’s home as a precaution, Cox said. For the confirmation services on Nov. 2, the congregation took additional steps to make it safer for members to attend in person.

They hung signs on parts of the building designating certain spaces as “área privada,” or “private area,” to deter ICE from entering without a warrant. The congregation has distributed whistles, which can be sounded if anyone sees ICE. And during the confirmation services, a member was stationed outside the church to watch for ICE, ready to alert worshippers if any federal agents approached. None did.

Worshippers should feel empowered to decide for themselves how they will respond to potential threats from federal agents, Cox said, though he is hopeful that more will find a “middle ground” between caution and boldness and begin returning to in-person services at Saint Teresa de Avila.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.