With the greater Chicago area becoming an epicenter for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, churches across Evanston have braced for impact.
ICE agents have taken multiple people in Evanston as part of Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants in Chicago. Amid swelling enforcement, Evanston’s religious organizations have become a key player in the local response and advocacy efforts.
Some congregations have devised plans of action if ICE agents enter their places of worship. Executive pastor at First United Methodist Church of Evanston Rev. Britt Cox said her church started working on a contingency plan in February because of the likelihood of the Trump administration enacting stricter immigration policies.
“It’s pretty evident what the playbook would be, that this is something that has been planned long before January,” Cox said. “For us, being able to think thoughtfully about our faith and what our response should be as a congregation that values justice and mercy, we knew that we had to think ahead about it.”
This plan was developed in collaboration with other religious communities across Evanston. Cox said much of her church’s devised plan came from a training held by Interfaith Action of Evanston and the Evanston Interfaith Clergy.
The collaboration wasn’t restricted to this single training — many of these faith communities have been in contact with one another about the best practices and procedures to respond to an officer entering their space, according to Rev. Eileen Wiviott from the Unitarian Church of Evanston.
Cox, Wiviott and other religious leaders did not disclose the details of their plans, but Cox emphasized their intention was creating a sense of safety and care for all people within the community.
People often come to church for community and connection — something that is declining in the midst of this period of increased ICE activity, according to Wiviott.
“That assurance and that comfort is being compromised by the fear of an authoritarian invasion into our sacred spaces,” Wiviott said. “We’re doing everything that we can to try to maintain a sense of calm and peace and safety within our other sacred houses of worship.”
Outside of their services, Evanston’s places of worship have also been at the forefront of some of the protests in the greater Chicago area.
Rev. Jason Coulter, a senior pastor at First Congregational Church of Evanston, said that he, alongside other faith leaders, traveled to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, two weeks ago to try to offer clergy to the detainees. Coulter said that state police officers denied the group of religious leaders access to the facility.
“In that refusal, it laid bare the horrible, offensive and unjust response that is currently unfolding in our country right now,” he said. “And it broke my heart to know that you kept apart from these folks who are now detained.”
During services, some religious communities have discussed how their faith values play into the ongoing conversation about ICE activity in the area. Cox said she has spoken out about the United Methodist tradition encouraging protecting immigrants and those who seek asylum. Wiviott said she has been preaching about the importance of justice and equity during this time.
Coulter said that while none of the members of his church have been detained, his congregation has felt the recent ICE activity in a personal way.
“This is not six degrees of separation. This says one or two degrees of separation. So I think everybody is feeling it in a very up close and personal way,” Coulter said. “Even if they themselves and their family members have not been directly affected, they know people who have.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Rev. Eileen Wiviott’s last name. The Daily regrets this error.
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—At least 1 person reported taken by ICE in Evanston Thursday morning
—Evanston implements ‘ICE free zones’ amid continued community concerns
