Loyola Jesuits Join Pope and Archdiocese in Supporting Immigrants

Loyola Jesuits are continuing to protest at the Broadview ICE facility. They join the example of the Chicago Archdiocese, who’ve shown support for immigrants and Pope Leo XIV, who denounced the mistreatment of Broadview detainees that were denied Holy Communion. 

Father David Inczauskis, SJ, Ph.D, and Father Kevin Flaherty, SJ, were part of an unsuccessful attempt to give communion to detained individuals at the Broadview ICE facility, organized by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL). The group has plans to return to Broadview, but are currently in a lawsuit, The Phoenix reported. 

“I think a lot of people are just irate at the treatment and the forced indignity,” Flaherty said. 

Leader of the Catholic Church Pope Leo XIV, originally from Chicago, criticized the Trump administration’s handling of immigration, according to CBS.  

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, The Most Reverend Timothy J. O’Malley, said the position of the Catholic Church on immigration is to continue to help those in need. Nationally, high-ranking Catholic churches like the Archdiocese of Chicago provide services for immigrants and refugees.

“We have made known that we would like to be able to take care of the pastoral needs of anyone who is detained,” O’Malley said. 

In Chicago, ICE officers have been seen using enforcement tactics such as pepper balls, which in one instance hit a pastor in the face outside of the Broadview ICE facility, NPR reported. 

ICE agents were also seen near churches in Rogers Park, following President Donald Trump’s recent policy change, allowing federal agents to make arrests at places of worship, the Associated Press reported. 

O’Malley said the Archdiocese of Chicago will continue to support the needs of those detained and seeking citizenship through prayer and community action.

“The sense is that maybe we should be more open to people who have been here for many years,” O’Malley said. “They’ve been working in our communities. They’ve contributed to the wellbeing of the community. Their students attend schools in our community, including grade schools, high schools and colleges. They’ve had a positive impact on our community.”

Loyola Jesuit Inczauskis said the Catholic support of immigrants comes directly from the Bible, citing Matthew 25.

“In this passage, Jesus talks about appearing to people as those who are sick, as those who are naked, as those who are imprisoned, but Jesus also talks about appearing to people as those who are foreigners, those who are strangers,” Inczauskis said. “Essentially what Jesus says is those who are the sheep, who will go off to inherit eternal life, are those who have welcomed the stranger.”

Inczauskis referenced Luke 4, saying Catholic views in support of immigration align with the words of Jesus, whose goal was to bring deliverance to the oppressed. 

The Jesuit leaders at Loyola were denied the ability to serve communion at Broadview ICE facility in Chicago Nov. 1, The Phoenix reported. Inczauskis said the battle isn’t over and a reattempt will be made in February for Ash Wednesday with help from CSPL. 

The CSPL is a newly founded community Catholic organization that seeks to bring liberation to the oppressed, according to fourth-year history major Harry Brooker . Brooker said the purpose of this organization is to unite students of all faiths in supporting those affected by ICE, along with other community issues. CSPL has not officially been brought to Loyola, but has had meetings on campus to measure student interest. 

Loyola Jesuit Flaherty said many students at Loyola are children or grandchildren of immigrants and deserve to be held in the arms of God as much as any other individual. Flaherty said he’s seen the fear and outrage from students on campus. 

Flaherty said the Catholic church can’t abandon the large percent of Catholics who identify as Hispanic. 

“One cannot be a Catholic and turn your back on 36% of your own church,” Flaherty said. 

Second-year marketing and information systems major Karla Prado said she felt the same fear and outrage in the community Flaherty reported seeing. Being the daughter of an immigrant, Prado said she was afraid for her own community. 

“They’ll go after anyone who fits that description, which is scary because you could fit that description  even if you’re not an immigrant, Hispanic or a minority,” Prado said.

Prado said the targeting of immigrants was not a part of the Catholic faith she was taught.

“How can you say that you are a child of God or you follow the word of God, but you also stand with what [ICE is] doing,” Prado said. 

Prado said she felt Loyola provided safety and protection during the active rise in ICE presence due to Loyola being a private institution. She said she felt she could go to campus security with any issues, and they would support her. 

Brooker is still finding ways to support those affected by ICE along with other Loyola students. He’s part of the group working to bring the CSPL to Loyola. 

Brooker said CSPL plans to do community outreach, like walking individuals affected by ICE to church services, and has been working with Loyola Jesuits in organizing Masses outside of the Broadview facility, with the goal of bringing communion to those unlawfully detained.

Brooker said his passion isn’t driven by his religion alone.

“It’s an impossible question to answer just as a Catholic because as a human it hurts me so much,” Brooker said. “I would say it disgusts me, but it’s beyond that at this point. It hurts deep in my heart.”

Though the organization is in the process of being approved as a Loyola affiliate, Brooker said he already sees promise for the future of student action. 

“It’s amazing to see how Loyola students clearly see that justice and spirituality are so uniquely intertwined,” Brooker said. “We don’t even have to talk about this in a Catholic way, we don’t have to talk about this in a Christian way. This is something that is interreligious and interfaith. People are having their rights taken away.”

Brooker also said the organization relies on student interest, so he hopes students will reach out to him to get involved. 

Both Prado and Brooker said this is an unjust and terrifying time for the many affected by ICE, but they also agreed there’s room for activism at Loyola. Jesuits like Inczauskis said he wants all students affected by ICE to know not only is there a place for them in the Catholic church and at Loyola, but there’s a place for them in the world. 

Inczauskis said he hopes students can turn to their faith and recognize their dignity is dependent on God, and not their oppressor. 

“My dignity comes from God, and nothing can take that away,” Inczauski said. “The government can tell you that you don’t have worth, but God says ‘I love you unconditionally, and I care for you.’”