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St. Louis Archdiocese Sues Trump Over Immigrant Detainee Access
Confirmed
In Short: According to the lawsuit, the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center, an ICE facility, has a no-contact policy that prevents Catholic priests from meeting detainees face-to-face, thereby denying them access to the sacraments.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a lawsuit against the federal government on October 5, 2026, over a policy it claims prohibits priests from distributing Communion and hearing confessions to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees.
Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy and communications at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, emphasized the importance of religious freedom for detained immigrants.
Appleby stated, “I would think that wherever one stands on the immigration issue overall, a reasonable person would agree that detained immigrants should have the ability to practice their faith, and, in the Catholic tradition, access to the sacraments. It is a fundamental freedom enshrined in our Constitution to which all persons are entitled.”
The Archdiocese of St. Louis contends that the government's policy imposes real and immediate harm on Catholic detainees and priests, as it prevents them from fulfilling their religious duties.
In a statement, the Archdiocese said it “steadfastly supports the right of all Catholics and the priests who serve them to practice their Catholic faith.”
The lawsuit specifically targets the Ste. Genevieve Detention Center, which has refused to accommodate clergy seeking to provide sacraments to migrants held there.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is challenging an immigration detention center’s visitation policies it says prevent Catholic detainees from receiving the sacraments, after a jail official suggested “clergy pass communion in a plastic bag to a prison guard who could then deliver it to the detainee.”
The lawsuit asks the federal court to halt these policies and restore the religious liberty rights of priests and the detained.
This case marks the first time a U.S. Catholic diocese has sued ICE over restrictions on pastoral access to immigration detainees.
The lawsuit adds to a growing list of cases brought by faith groups challenging various federal policies related to immigration since the beginning of Trump’s second term, and marks the first time a Catholic bishop has individually joined one of the lawsuits.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, “This is a non-contact county jail, not an ICE facility. Detainees are given the opportunity to practice their religions. All religious items are permitted as soon as detainees make the request. DHS ensures detainees are accommodated with religious services, including access to Catholic priests, the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Penance as requested.”
What's confirmed
- “These allegations are FALSE,” the statement said.
What's still developing
- Catholics receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the deprivation of these sacraments imposes real and immediate harm on Catholic detainees and priests.” “As a result of this policy, Catholic priests cannot fulfill the mission to which Matthew 25:36 calls them, namely, to welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned.
- “Immigrants being held in detention and facing deportation are most in need of pastoral support and the affirmation of their God-given human dignity and worth,” Appleby said Oct. 6.
- “DHS could address this issue simply by issuing a directive requiring their detention centers to allow clergy full access to minister to their people,” Appleby said.
- “When God gives [us] a saint, He’s calling other people to sanctity. So my thought is, OK, how is this going to be an impetus for the American Catholic Church and specifically for the Diocese of Peoria. So remember, God always gives gifts for a reason. It’s not just for us to say look at how awesome we are. No, it’s also, look at what God can do,” Henehan said.
- Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, called for support as he said recent immigration enforcement in the state has left some Catholic families afraid to attend church or school.
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