Faith leaders in Illinois are raising concerns about religious freedom after federal officials told protesters outside an immigration detention center that “no more prayer” can be held inside or in front of the facility.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at Broadview, Illinois, has increasingly become a source of concern for faith leaders who have accused federal officials of blocking them from meeting with detainees. The reported decision to block clergy members from accessing the facility has drawn attention and criticism from Pope Leo XIV.

On Friday, an anonymous federal official had a phone call with faith leaders and activists, and told them that there could be “no more prayer in front of [the] building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background,” according to a local news outlet, the Block Club Chicago, whose reporter was present during the call. 

The chief of police of Broadview, Thomas Mills, told the Block Club, “I’m dumbfounded.”

“Every time I talk with [federal officials], it feels like their rules keep changing. We don’t really know what’s happening, I’m sorry I can’t say more. We just want to keep people safe and let them peacefully protest without getting hurt,” Mr. Mills said. 

Demonstrators who were part of the call expressed concerns that the federal government is violating the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. Meanwhile, Mr. Mills told demonstrators that he was “trying to figure out” whether the federal government has the authority to restrict religious gatherings on village property. 

The call came after faith leaders held an interfaith service near the facility on Friday morning. Demonstrators sang, offered prayers, and read a letter imploring federal officials to let clergy members into the detention center to perform religious services.

Mr. Mills called federal officials to ask that clergy members be allowed inside the facility, but was seen shaking his head as the request was rejected, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

That request came nearly a week after federal officials declined to allow Catholic clergy members into the Broadview facility to administer communion to detainees. 

The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership spearheaded the push to get priests into the facility. But after they were denied, they said in a statement, “Although ICE claims that their Broadview facility upholds national detention standards guaranteeing the right to worship, testimonies from those detained and their families tell a very different story, one of spiritual neglect and isolation.”

The archbishop of Chicago, Blase Cupich, told the National Catholic Reporter that ICE’s decision not to admit the priests is a “violation of religious freedom” and that there is “no harm to the government in allowing us to minister.”

Pope Leo XIV said last week that the federal government should “allow pastoral workers to assist” detainees.

“Many times they have been separated from their families, and no one knows what happens,” he said. “Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, responded to the pope’s comments, writing on X, “Religious organizations have ALWAYS been welcome to provide services to detainees in ICE detention facilities. Religious leaders may request access to facilities through proper channels and have those requests approved.”

A Democratic activist who writes a blog focused on how the “pope intersects with American politics,” Christopher Hale, chided Ms. McLaughlin’s comment, writing on X, “ Calling the pope a liar is beyond the pale, Tricia. The Archdiocese of Chicago followed every required protocol weeks ago — and was still denied. Is the Trump–Vance Administration deliberately targeting Catholic detainees to block them from receiving the sacraments?”

Mr. Hale later posted on X that a “White House spokesperson” told him the pope “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

That comment drew the attention of Vice President Vance, who is Catholic, who asked Mr. Hale for the identity of the staffer. However, the commentator declined to reveal the identity. 

While some members of the administration have not been afraid to suggest the Vatican should stay out of American politics, the vice president has sought to avoid getting dragged into a war of words between the administration and the pope. In May, he told a conservative radio host, Hugh Hewitt, “I try not to play the politicization of the pope game.”

“I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all,” he said.

ICE did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.