Crime & Law
After Court Ruling, Clergy Members Given Access to Broadview ICE Facility on Ash Wednesday
It was a legal and spiritual victory for local clergy members who were given access to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in west suburban Broadview on Wednesday.
The Ash Wednesday visit came after months of denied entry led to a lawsuit and judge’s ruling.
Members of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, a Chicago-based religious advocacy group made up of churches and universities, called it a sacred moment as they sang and prayed as two priests and a nun walked into the facility.
It has been an ongoing battle for anyone, including religious leaders and elected officials, to be allowed entry to the facility since the start of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” deportation campaign.
A federal district judge granted a preliminary injunction last week, which allowed clergy and faith leaders access to the Broadview facility on Ash Wednesday, a day signifying the start of the Lenten season.
The judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice burdened the clergy’s religious exercise and failed to show a compelling government argument for denying access to minister to those detained there.
The case was brought by the coalition after clergy members said ICE rejected and ignored their requests throughout late 2025. In one instance, they said a federal representative told them there would be “no more prayer” inside or outside the facility.
The faith leaders who were able to go inside said the staff was cooperative and that three staff members and four detainees received ashes.
“They were just detained so you saw the crying eyes, confusion, uncertainty, but also you could see that they’re responsive so they felt the hope at the moment that they could see the church was there for them,” said the Rev. Leandro Fossá, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
The coalition called for ICE to allow visits and pastoral care for those at the facility on an ongoing basis.
