Judge Steps In

A federal judge just slapped down ICE for blocking clergy from visiting detained migrants at a facility in Broadview, Illinois. It’s about time – the Catholic nonprofit and several clergy had been trying to provide pastoral care for months, but ICE kept shutting them down.

What’s the Big Deal?

Apparently, ICE thought it could just ignore the clergy’s requests for access. But the judge didn’t buy it, ruling that the agency had no right to block the visits. Now, ICE has to let the clergy in, at least on Ash Wednesday.

It’s ridiculous that it took a court order to get ICE to do the right thing. But hey, at least the migrants will get some spiritual support now. And who knows, maybe ICE will learn to respect people’s rights – but don’t hold your breath.