A church in the Chicago area is generating intense discussion and controversy with its annual Nativity display, which has been radically reimagined to mirror contemporary US immigration enforcement raids.
A Modern Retelling of the Christmas Story
The Lake Street Church of Evanston unveiled its striking creche on November 25. The installation features the Virgin Mary wearing a respirator mask, intended to protect her from tear gas, while the infant Jesus lies under a thin, reflective blanket with his hands bound by zip-ties. Standing guard nearby are figures dressed as Roman centurions, wearing sunglasses and green vests marked with the letters 'ICE'.
In a statement on Facebook, the church explained its intent. 'This installation reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation,' they wrote, drawing a direct line between the Holy Family's experience as refugees and current immigration detention practices. The church asserted the display was deliberately unsubtle because the crisis it addresses is concrete, not abstract.
'We hope viewers will join the conversation about what sanctuary means when families fleeing violence are met with separation, detention and dehumanization,' the statement continued. The church firmly declared that 'The Holy Family were refugees,' framing this not as political commentary but as the essential reality of the biblical narrative.
Motivation Behind the Provocative Display
The controversial scene was organised by the church's Associate Minister, Jillian Westerfield. She told the Pioneer Press that her reflections were influenced by the impact of the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, which led to hundreds of migrant detentions.
'For me at least, I have experienced the face of Christ in the people who are suffering,' Westerfield said. 'We just really saw a parallel between the ICE forces and the centurions. This is what the Bible says happened to Jesus and we use our contemporary imagery to illustrate that.' She described the installation as a straightforward representation of the biblical account of Jesus's family fleeing persecution.
Reverend Michael Woolf, a frequent protester of ICE operations in Chicago, provided context to NBC Chicago, noting 'our baby Jesus has zip ties on his hands because that was an actual incident that happened in our city.'
Community Reaction and Vandalism
Westerfield acknowledged the congregation shares her strong sentiments on the issue. 'This is who we are and this is what's important to us,' she stated, adding they feel they answer to a higher authority than public opinion. While she admitted concern over the broader community's reaction, she insisted the church would not be cowed.
The display has not been universally welcomed. It has already been subject to vandalism, with Mary's gas mask removed and the zip ties cut from the baby Jesus figure. In response, Reverend Woolf has invited church members and local residents to help restore the Nativity scene to its intended state on an upcoming Saturday.
Woolf clarified that the church does not claim to speak for all Christians, but for a strand of the community asking: 'if Jesus was born in America right now, what would this nativity look like?' The church's ultimate hope is that the provocative scene will move people to action, regardless of their faith or philosophical background.
