How Faith Leaders Are Building a Nationwide Clergy Network to Challenge ICE

What unfolded inside a Minneapolis church this week was not a typical religious assembly. More than 600 clergy representing dozens of faith traditions arrived from across the country with a shared sense of urgency: to confront what they describe as an expanding and aggressive federal deportation system.

Christian ministers stood alongside rabbis, imams, Buddhists and Indigenous spiritual leaders. Many had traveled on short notice, responding to a call rooted not in politics alone, but in moral responsibility. Organizers framed the gathering as both a spiritual convening and a practical organizing summit — a place where prayer and protest were intentionally intertwined.

The atmosphere reflected that dual purpose. Hymns blended with chants. Scripture was paired with strategy. What emerged was a collective recognition that faith leaders are no longer content to respond quietly from pulpits alone.

Minneapolis as a Blueprint for the Nation

Participants repeatedly described Minneapolis as a preview of what other cities may soon experience. Local faith leaders shared firsthand lessons from months of organizing amid a dramatic increase in federal immigration agents operating in immigrant neighborhoods.

Many visiting clergy admitted they had never personally encountered immigration enforcement in their own communities. Minneapolis offered them something different: direct exposure. Seeing masked agents demand documentation in public spaces was, for some, deeply unsettling — and radicalizing.

Trainings focused on practical skills clergy could take home: how to safely observe enforcement activity, how to document encounters, how to support families afraid to leave their homes, and how to sustain spiritual leadership during prolonged periods of unrest.

From Learning to Action

The convening did not remain inside church walls. Clergy deployed throughout the city in coordinated groups, accompanying local organizers, monitoring areas where enforcement activity was reported and offering visible support to immigrant-owned businesses and neighborhoods.

Others assisted churches distributing food and essential supplies to families choosing to stay indoors out of fear. Singing protests targeted corporate locations accused by activists of enabling enforcement operations.

The most dramatic action occurred at a major airport, where hundreds of faith leaders gathered despite severe cold. When police moved in, many out-of-town clergy stepped back — but local religious leaders remained in the roadway, kneeling, praying and singing as arrests were made.

For those arrested, the act was framed not as civil disobedience for its own sake, but as public prayer — a visible declaration that faith compels resistance when human dignity is threatened.

Content Block: A Shift in Religious Leadership

What distinguishes this movement is not only its scale, but its structure.

Organizers are intentionally building a decentralized national network of clergy trained to respond quickly when immigration enforcement escalates in their regions. Participants left with shared protocols, legal guidance and communication channels designed for rapid mobilization.

This represents a shift in how many faith leaders understand their role in public life. Rather than acting solely as commentators or moral critics, clergy are positioning themselves as active witnesses — physically present, strategically prepared and collectively organized.

The Minneapolis gathering was not presented as a one-time event. Organizers described it as the first chapter in a sustained effort to embed faith-based resistance wherever enforcement expands.

A Message Meant to Travel

Historical memory loomed large throughout the gathering. References to civil rights marches, Indigenous resistance and past moments when religious institutions failed to act early enough were woven into speeches and prayers.

For many participants, the lesson was clear: waiting for consensus or comfort is no longer an option. Silence, they argued, has consequences.

As clergy were led away in handcuffs at the airport protest, the crowd’s response captured the spirit of the movement. Their chant — demanding space for prayer — echoed beyond Minneapolis.

If the federal deportation campaign continues to grow, participants believe this model of organized, visible, faith-driven resistance will appear in city after city. What began as a response to local conditions has become a national calling — one that blends conviction, preparation and public action.