GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that will allow immigration officers to enter schools and places of worship and arrest people who are in the country illegally. The Diocese of Grand Rapids says they are worried that some parishioners will now be scared to attend church.
“There's a lot of fear right now, fear of uncertainty, fear of removal,” said Diocese of Grand Rapids Director of Immigration Legal Services Nicole Iraola.
Now that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers can enter churches to locate undocumented immigrants, many priests say there is apprehension among some of their parishioners.
“With the increased enforcement priorities and the loss of sensitive locations, then it opens the door for a lot more worry and concern,” said Iraola.
She says churches will still be a place of sanctuary but the sense of protection is now gone.
“In public spaces like churches, there are fewer rights and fewer limitations on what ICE can do, but what we plan to be doing is asking them not to disrupt mass and services,” said Iraola.
The Diocese is reminding parishioners to exercise their right to remain silent and ICE will still need a warrant to enter your home.
“I think it's always important to remain silent. Don't sign anything unless you have reviewed it with an attorney,” said Iraola.
She says the Diocese will do what it can to protect congregations and will not share anyone’s immigration status unless there is a valid warrant.
“There are a lot of reasons to be concerned, but we need to take things day by day and address changes as they come,” said Iraola.
FOX 17 reached out for comments on this story from local GOP leaders and the ICE field office in Detroit but has not heard back. The Diocese of Grand Rapids streams a Spanish mass at noon on Sundays. For more information click here.
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