Three Clergy Enter Broadview ICE Facility on Ash Wednesday and Give Communion and Ashes Under Court Order
On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, three members of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership entered the Broadview ICE processing center: Claretian Father Paul Keller, Scalabrini Father Leandro Fossá and Sister Alicia Gutierrez of the Society of Helpers. Illinois state troopers and local police escorted them to the entrance. OSV News reports that the Department of Homeland Security complied with the federal judge’s Feb. 12 order that opened the door.
What they gave, and to whom: they told reporters they gave Communion and ashes to the four detainees inside and also to three facility personnel. Those four people had just been brought into the detention area, about an hour after the trio arrived.
Keller’s words afterward: “This is the body of Christ, bringing the body of Christ to the body of Christ.”
Sources
- Simone Orendain, OSV News report on the Ash Wednesday visit: https://www.osvnews.com/pastoral-care-is-finally-allowed-inside-chicago-area-ice-facility-on-ash-wednesday/
The Cascade Ledger. “Three Clergy Enter Broadview ICE Facility on Ash Wednesday and Give Communion and Ashes Under Court Order.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, February 18, 2026. https://capturecascade.org/event/2026-02-18--clergy-enter-broadview-ice-facility-ash-wednesday-communion-ashes/