Days after the Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration’s plans to begin large-scale deportations and immigration raids in Chicago, Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park’s council voted to post two new signs on their doors.
“Churches are places of refuge, where people can set down their burdens and find rest and peace,” one reads, in both English and Spanish. The other states that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents “do not have consent” to enter the church without a “valid judicial warrant.”

According to Pastor Nancy Goede, the atmosphere at Augustana has been tense amid fears of immigration raids. Like many other churches across Chicago, Augustana opened its doors to the waves of migrants that began arriving in Chicago in 2022, collecting mountains of donated supplies in its nave and recruiting volunteers for the Hyde Park Refugee Project. In October 2023, the church took in a migrant family of seven—a couple in their 30s, their toddler, and other relatives—housing them for over a year.
Although the family has now moved on, Goede says the church is still supporting other migrants.
“We worry about them a lot right now,” she told the Maroon.
Since the announcement of post-inauguration raids, community organizations around Chicago have been at work preparing resources and providing legal support for the city’s migrants. In some neighborhoods, organizers have taken to the streets to distribute “Know Your Rights” information to at-risk communities.
At Augustana, Goede says the congregation is “trying to be as helpful as possible,” by preparing migrants’ legal documents and making plans in case of raids. The church is also working with the Faith Community Initiative, a coalition of faith communities that works to support and resettle asylum seekers.
“You have to be prepared in case something happens,” she said.
Although ICE and Border Patrol policies previously limited the agencies’ ability to carry out arrests in “sensitive” areas like schools, hospitals, and places of worship, a change announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday reversed that guidance. On January 26, ICE announced that it had begun “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago, according to the New York Times.
“It’s unfortunate if they just trample this,” Goede said of the policy change. “We’re leaving the signs up because we think that this is a norm worth defending.”
Although the details of potential raids remain uncertain, Goede says the church is “thinking as a congregation about how to respond to different things.”
“We’re waiting to see what happens and what kind of help is needed,” she said. “We don’t know what’s coming up, but I think people are feeling prepared.”
Disgusting / Jan 28, 2025 at 12:07 pm
I write as a concened community member that the maroon is biased in its reporting of this issue!! I have already reported this to ICE and I encourage others to do likewise. Shameful reporting by the Maroon. Shameful!!
Will abide by the law / Jan 28, 2025 at 8:24 am
I don’t think so! Everyone must do their part. Everyone. Shame on the Maroon for sanctioning illegal activity