Clergy, Prepare For ICE: Guidance From Minnesota Pastors

Minnesota pastors urge U.S. clergy to prepare now for ICE incursions. Their wisdom and experience show us how.

Multiracial group of people planning — Now is the time for clergy and congregations to plan for ICE incursions. Minnesota pastors show us how.

In early January 2026, ICE launched “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and surrounding areas. The communities have been under siege and terrorized by ICE raids, kidnappings, violence, and murder. In response, Minnesota pastors and congregations have faithfully and peacefully resisted the blatant and horrifying federal overreach through tremendous efforts of mutual aid, community support, and prophetic resistance to tyranny.

On Jan. 27, the Clergy Emergency League invited a panel of Minnesota pastors and faith leaders to share what they’ve learned about organizing faith-based resistance to ICE. This was a time for witness, mutual support, and honest conversation about what faithfulness looks like in this moment. We hope this summary of their collective wisdom will compel clergy and congregations around the country to prepare now to actively protect vulnerable communities most threatened by ICE’s unchecked and unlawful behavior.

Don’t wait – prepare now!

A key message from the Minnesota pastors is not to passively wait for ICE to come to your community before trying to organize. Instead, begin preparations now so that you’re ready, calm, collected, and have the resources you need. Like the wise maidens in Jesus’s parable, have your oil lamps filled and your wicks trimmed (Matt. 25:1-13). In other words, take stock, have a plan, and be ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

Building Relationships and Finding Your “Superpowers”

It’s critical for congregations and clergy to build relationships before the crisis. Proactive partnerships with schools and community organizers are essential for earning trust and being the first call when help is needed. Reach out to established, trusted organizations so that the network is in place when ICE arrives.

But no congregation can do it all. Pick one lane and own it. Do some asset-mapping and then focus your congregation’s “superpower” to be highly effective while avoiding burnout. Whatever you already do well – food ministry, childcare, hosting meetings – lean into that strength and offer it for the community support efforts.

Safety and Community Leadership

While you’re preparing, prioritize safety and legal issues. Locked doors, trained guards, walkie-talkies, and marked safe spaces are essential. And since federal agents are now invading houses of worship, be prepared to record every interaction. At the same time, network with immigration attorneys to access real-time advice. If you minister to immigrants, attorneys can help prepare legal documents such as writs of habeas corpus ICE check-ins.

Above all, let the community lead. Center the agency of vulnerable people by asking about their needs and following their decisions, even when those choices seem risky or feel uncomfortable. For white clergy and congregations, this means quelling the “white savior” complex, checking the ego, and taking direction from people of color.

Let’s dig into these topics in more detail so you can lead your congregation through the preparation steps.

Clergy leading prayer circle — Clergy and congregations can assist with community organizing and spiritual support

Asset Mapping Before the Crisis

The Minnesota pastors recommended asset mapping for conducting an inventory of your congregation’s strengths and vulnerabilities to define its role in mutual aid and community resistance.

Week of Compassion provides resources specifically for congregations and ministries engaged in disaster, refugee, and immigration response, including tools for assessing and mobilizing assets: www.weekofcompassion.org.

Here’s an online toolkit designed to help churches document ICE raids and provide sanctuary. It offers practical steps for congregations to protect immigrant families and organize support efforts: www.borderreport.com.

For a broader framework, Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) resources explain how to catalyze change by leveraging existing gifts and capacities within communities, a foundational approach for asset mapping (www.imls.gov.)

Define Your Church’s Role

Focus on your congregation’s strengths. These can range from providing food or rent/utility assistance to protest support, home medical care, rides/delivery, laundry, notary services, and technology. But be realistic. A church lacking shower facilities, for example, cannot be a sanctuary church.

The Minnesota pastors said to concentrate on hyper-local organizing at the block and neighborhood level for faster, safer response and to leverage local resources such as Costco memberships and medical training. This will help you define your lane and make a core contribution to maximize impact.

For example, one church in Minnesota had a pre-existing relationship with a local elementary school. This led to a request for childcare during school patrols so that parents with children could also protect their neighbors’ children. “A public school would not have necessarily trusted a faith institution if we had not built that relationship in advance,” the clergyperson said.

Establish Emergency Protocols

All of this requires proactive planning around emergency protocols. Work with church leadership on a pre-defined plan for worship and mutual aid. For example, be prepared for pivoting to a “house church” model of worship if gathering in person is not safe. Find out who is willing and able to provide rides, do grocery runs, and provide in-home tutoring.

[Use these guides to help your planning: ICE Preparedness Checklist for Congregational Leaders; ICE Readiness Guide for Sessions & Councils.]

The Minnesota pastors also reminded clergy of their role as organizers. Leverage your unique access to an organizing environment (your congregation) to equip and empower members for community action. Said one organizer, “Don’t forget that you have access to an organizing environment every single week that most citizens of the United States do not have access to.”

Use the skills you learned in seminary and through years of church leadership to be a calm, non-anxious presence, help people avoid panic, and turn the energy of anxiety into focused action.

Legal, Financial, and Hospitality Support

The Minnesota pastors suggested that a white clergyperson in a collar accompanying someone to an ICE check-in often improves the outcome. If you’re willing to do this, reach out to immigration attorneys or community organizations that can train you in this work. However, wearing clerical collars can also increase risks for the ones we’re trying to help – so consult ahead of time and make no assumptions about how your presence will be received.

If legal accompaniment is not in your wheelhouse, you can reach out to congregations serving high-immigrant populations to offer financial support. You can also offer space for meetings, prayer, and hospitality, including food and drinks, to those engaging in protests and direct action.

However, keep safety and security in mind. While churches can designate property as private, ICE may not recognize that designation. So, develop communication protocols and use walkie-talkies on-site to ensure clear messaging and actions. Said one clergy with a significant immigrant contingent in the church, “We keep the church locked all morning. We have people standing guard at the doors, and we have them trained in how to recognize the different kinds of warrants that ICE might present.”

Learn How to Use Digital and Language Tools

One of the Minnesota pastors shared that they had to spend a lot of time teaching their older members how to use secure messaging platforms and wished they had started sooner. So now is the time to hold a training session to help folks download and learn to use the technology needed for secure communication. Recruit younger folks to mentor their elders so that they become comfortable with platforms such as Signal, Proton, and Cryptpad.

Learning basic Spanish or the language of the primary immigrants in your area is also helpful. “Get yourself on Duolingo” or another language-learning platform, advised one of the Minnesota pastors. Host trainings in how to use Google translate and communicate with someone speaking a different language.

Develop Relationships and Respect Power Differentials

The Minnesota pastors noted that there’s a difference between accompaniment and “White Saviorism.” Accompanying vulnerable people and groups means empowering them to make their own decisions. Center the agency of the person being accompanied. Provide facts about their options but remember that the choice is theirs to make.

The pastors also emphasized that vulnerable communities must lead the response. This means prioritizing needs-based support. Ask what would be helpful instead of making assumptions (e.g., “Here are diapers” vs. “What do you need?”). Things that are not needed get in the way of the work.

Also, do not assume that vulnerable people will trust you just because you are part of a congregation. Some churches are hotbeds of Christian nationalism. Others are well-meaning but not always helpful. This means that the community is now vetting the church, not the other way around.

“We are the ones being vetted by the communities that are the most at danger. They are looking at us not knowing if we are safe,” said one pastor. To build trusting relationships, the Minnesota pastors urged congregations and clergy to trust organizers with funds, even without receipts, to enable rapid response.

Racial Dynamics

The Minnesota pastors reminded us that the historical context of this moment requires acknowledging the complex history of race in Minnesota and the U.S. more broadly. “We are enacting very old narratives in this moment in ways that can do damage even as we are trying to do good,” observed a person of color on the panel. White clergy must be vigilant about their egos and avoid co-opting narratives or seeking validation.

“I’ll say that there has been a flurry of well-meaning people, particularly well-meaning white people who want to help right now without asking what is needed,” one organizer noted. This can cause unintentional harm or disrupt the work of organizers already on the ground.

One white pastor said she is constantly checking her motivation: “Am I doing this so I can feel like I am the ‘good white lady?”

She recommended that if you are a white person wanting to help, put yourself in a student position. Be willing to learn from experienced organizers, especially people of color. But also realize that your help may be refused. You might not always be thanked. And there may be skepticism or suspicion about your intentions. So, learn to get comfortable with that discomfort, and do the work anyway.

Going All In While Maintaining Self-Care

The Minnesota pastors cautioned that community organizing and prophetic resistance require a person’s whole self. As one pastor said with frankness, “We don’t want you to half-ass things because you are too thin on the ground or you don’t have energy to maintain it.”

At the same time, doing this work of organizing, community support, and mutual aid is taxing. The Minnesota clergy are trying to balance family, congregational, and community needs under extreme pressure and risk. And this risk is dynamic, requiring a constant check-in with oneself and circumstances. “Risk assessment can change every day,” one organizer cautioned. “So, check in with yourself on a daily basis and say, ‘Okay, what am I prepared to do today, in this moment?'”

[Read: Clergy Stress & Resilience in a Divided America: 2025 Survey]

There are more of us than there are of them

In many ways, what happened in Chicago and is now happening in Minnesota and Portland, Maine, is a moment of clarity for clergy and congregations to truly understand their mission as followers of Jesus. There is no better time to be a Matthew 25 church – getting prepared, networking with others, and helping the most vulnerable. The accompaniment that churches provide is the discipleship to which Jesus calls us.

And we do not do this work alone. As one of the Minnesota pastors said, “One of the biggest strengths we have is that there are more of us than there are of them. This means it’s easier for us to take care of ourselves, to rest, to let someone else do what they’re good at and focus on what we’re doing.”

Final Reminder

You are not called to do everything. But you ARE called to be faithful, prepared, and accountable. Remember: this work is collective—and it is holy.

This is a moment for faithfulness, discipline, humility, and collective action.

So, may God bless you and your congregation with resolve, responsiveness, and resilience as we build the Beloved Community amid the empire of tyranny.

Resources:

ICE Preparedness Checklist for Congregational Leaders – a practical, faith-grounded checklist to help leaders prepare thoughtfully and safely before a crisis
ICE Readiness Guide for Sessions & Councils – a concise, action-oriented guide for governing bodies to approve lanes, protocols, and financial readiness
Faithful, Prepared, Accountable: A Congregational Blueprint for Community Presence – a slide deck with a visual and strategic framework translating preparedness into non-anxious stewardship; useful for presentations in congregations

Are you a clergy person looking to connect with other Christian leaders in the work of resisting and disrupting Christian nationalism? Check out the Clergy Emergency League.

My thanks to Rev. Dr. Stephen Fearing, co-founder of CEL, for preparing the checklists and guides, and for his input on this blog piece.

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