Clergy groups in Minnesota are asking a federal judge to order ICE to allow in-person pastoral visits for immigrants held in a Minneapolis federal building.
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15, 2026. FILE - Protesters yell at cars coming and going near a defaced sign for Bishop Whipple Federal building in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. FILE - Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. – Protestant and Catholic clergy are asking a federal judge to order that they be allowed to minister to immigrants in a holding facility at the headquarters of the Trump administration's enforcement surge in Minnesota. U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell will hear Friday from attorneys for Minnesota branches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and a Catholic priest. They're suing for an injunction requiring Department of Homeland Security officials to allow prompt in-person pastoral visits to all detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, the site offor human rights, “now stands in stark contrast to its namesake’s legacy.” It says the building has “become the epicenter of systematic deprivation of fundamental constitutional and legal rights by the federal government.”on Feb. 12. They also say the number of new detentions has since subsided, so temporary restrictions on visitors have been eased, and clergy visits have been allowed for over two weeks. In a recent filing, they said staff members weren't in a good position previously to allow visitation because the Whipple building had been “both a hub of heightened ICE operations and the symbolic center of community unrest.” Catholic and Episcopal bishops in Minnesota, other Christian and Jewish clergy, and the Minnesota Council of Churches are also supporting the request.of Broadview on Ash Wednesday last month. And Muslim and Christian clergy in Texas have struggled to get into large Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities there. The Minnesota lawsuit alleges that ICE unconstitutionally obstructed faith leaders “from offering prayer, pastoral guidance, sacramental ministry, and spiritual comfort to detainees in moments of profound fear, isolation, and despair.” Case filings list several instances in which clergy went to Whipple to minister to detainees but were refused access, including on Ash Wednesday, a solemn day in many Christian traditions in which clergy place ashes on worshippers' foreheads in the sign of the cross. The lawsuit called the restrictions in place at Whipple a violation of both the constitutional freedom of religion of clergy who feel compelled by their faith to serve detainees and the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. ICE's stated policy is that facilities that hold detainees for more than 72 hours are required to have a chaplain or “religious services coordinator,” as well as dedicated spaces for services. ICE says its policy also requires advance notice and background checks for clergy and faith volunteers. But government attorneys and ICE officials contend the Whipple building is just a short-term holding facility, and that most held there are moved to other ICE facilities within 24 hours. Tauria Rich, a senior local ICE official who oversees the facility, said in a filing this week that visitors are rare, and that any clergy requests would be back to being handled on a case-by-case basis. She said one clergy member had attempted to visit in early March, but left because no detainees were present. The visit would have been allowed if any detainees had been there, she said.Access has also been an issue for attorneys. Homeland Security was ordered by a different federal judge last month to give new detainees at Whipple immediate Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.A teen told a 79-year-old man he’d clean his driveway. Then he took him to withdraw over $10kI need a drop top office! A spring fling then it feels like summerWhat police want parents to know about 'teen takeovers' after Arlington gathering ends in arrestsJacksonville city councilman pushing to roll out Waymo; Safety analysts have some concernsMother of 18-year-old killed at Westside Burger King serves customers, pays for meals in son’s honorJacksonville approves next step in bringing UF campus to cityPulse nightclub demolished as Orlando moves toward permanent memorial for 49 victims of massacreBehind-the-scenes look at bomb squad training at Camp BlandingCity Council holds first JEA Special Committee meeting over potential unpaid capacity feesSenate Housing Bill could boost Jacksonville’s fight against affordability crisisTime to get some green in my garden. Expert advice from Five PointsJSO shoots man who pointed gun at officers while walking toward them outside Gate gas station
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