In an article posted by NPR on February 17, 2025, a reporter interviewed an activist professor about how churches are using sanctuary laws to harbor illegal immigrants. This conversation was prompted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) making a new ruling that will allow agents to arrest illegals at so-called ‘sensitive locations.’
“Sanctuary is this act of faith communities offering protection to individuals at risk of deportation, and it has deep historical roots. Gina Perez is a professor at Oberlin College in Ohio, and she wrote the book “Sanctuary People: Faith-Based Organizing In Latina/o Communities.”‘ explained NPR. “She told me this practice dates back to ancient times when people sought refuge in religious spaces to escape state power.”
“Now, in modern times, sanctuary isn’t just about physically living inside of a church. It’s this broader movement of legal aid, advocacy and community support. And when somebody does enter physical sanctuary, this is a drastic step usually seen as a last resort,” the reporter said.”So churches have historically been seen as these sensitive locations, places ICE agents have been reluctant to enter despite there being no law forbidding it.
“And that’s where this faith-driven justice kind of gets its power from, this authority of God and people’s belief in that. Many religious communities also believe in welcoming the stranger. So for them, offering sanctuary is this moral obligation. It’s just not that simple, though, as just opening up their doors,” the reporter explained to her woke viewers.
“Perez, the professor, she told me that before a church can take someone in, it’s a long process – congregations discuss whether they have the resources and commitment to follow through,” she said before quoting the professor. ‘” It’s complicated. I mean, there isn’t much data that tracks this, but anecdotally, under Trump’s first administration, the sanctuary movement expanded.
“And now it appears ICE has been given the authority to be more aggressive, ignoring past policies that made churches off-limits. The sanctuary movement hasn’t disappeared entirely, but the reality is the sanctuary has never been a long-term solution,” she said referencing a recent Trump decision. “And for people like Vizguerra, it was the only option they had to stay with their families.”
In the official statement, the DHS said,” Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued two directives essential to ending the invasion of the US southern border and empower law enforcement to protect Americans. ” The release went into the specifics of each change: “The first directive rescinds the Biden Administration’s guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that thwart law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas.”
“The second directive ends the broad abuse of humanitarian parole and returns the program to a case-by-case basis. ICE and CBP will phase out any parole programs that are not in accordance with the law,” the report added. It included direct quotes from the acting secretary. “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murderers and [assaulters]—who have illegally come into our country.”
She added, “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.” The report continued to blast the Biden admin and their lax border policy. The report concluded, “The Biden-Harris Administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country. This was all stopped on day one of the Trump Administration.”