Cardinals Celebrate Ash Wednesday with ICE Detainees and Families

Cupich and Tobin lead Masses to highlight plight of immigrant communities facing detention and deportation

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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On Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark celebrated Masses with immigrant communities affected by detention and deportation. Cupich led an outdoor Mass in Melrose Park, Illinois, attended by relatives of those detained or deported, while Tobin celebrated Masses inside an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey. The events were part of the church's efforts to uphold the human dignity of those facing immigration enforcement.

Why it matters

The Ash Wednesday Masses highlighted the plight of immigrant communities who live in fear of being "marked and tracked" by immigration authorities. The events were a public reckoning with the realities of detention, deportation, and family separation faced by many immigrants, and an affirmation that "God does not need papers to know who or where you are."

The details

Cardinal Cupich's outdoor Mass in Melrose Park was organized by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership and the Scalabrinian Missionaries, and came after a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow clergy access to the Broadview ICE detention facility for Ash Wednesday services. More than 3,000 people attended the Mass and procession, including relatives of those detained or deported. Cardinal Tobin celebrated Masses inside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, meeting with women detained by ICE and emphasizing the church's responsibility to uphold human dignity.

  • On February 12, 2026, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering DHS to permit clergy to minister to detainees on Ash Wednesday.
  • On Ash Wednesday, February 26, 2026, Cardinal Cupich celebrated Mass in Melrose Park, Illinois, and Cardinal Tobin celebrated Masses inside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey.

The players

Cardinal Blase Cupich

The Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago who led an Ash Wednesday Mass in Melrose Park, Illinois, attended by relatives of those detained or deported by immigration authorities.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin

The Cardinal Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, who celebrated Ash Wednesday Masses inside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, meeting with women detained by ICE.

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL)

An organization that organized the Ash Wednesday Mass led by Cardinal Cupich in Melrose Park, Illinois, as part of their efforts to uphold the human dignity of those facing immigration enforcement.

Scalabrinian Missionaries

A Catholic religious congregation that co-organized the Ash Wednesday Mass led by Cardinal Cupich in Melrose Park, Illinois.

Silverio Villegas González

An undocumented Mexican immigrant father of two who was fatally shot by ICE agents in September 2025, an event that shook the Melrose Park community and prompted sustained organizing by the parish and coalition.

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What they’re saying

“God does not need papers to know who or where you are. The world may look at your legal status, but God looks at your heart.”

— Cardinal Blase Cupich, Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago (ncronline.org)

“The importance of the Mass with the people, and then the possibility of going inside the ICE detention, is because we want to guarantee the freedom of religion of this country and the possibility for every person to receive spiritual assistance from their religion.”

— Fr. Leandro Fossá, Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (ncronline.org)

“We Catholics are moved by hope, despite the difficulties, despite the fear of many who don't go to work without measuring the consequences, many children who go to school and have anxiety because they don't know if — when they go back from school — their parents are going to be home.”

— Fr. Leandro Fossá, Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (ncronline.org)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow continued clergy access to the Broadview ICE detention facility.

The takeaway

The Ash Wednesday Masses led by Cardinals Cupich and Tobin were a powerful statement of the Catholic Church's commitment to standing with immigrant communities facing the fear and uncertainty of detention and deportation, affirming that "no matter what laws change, no matter what politicians say, and no matter what uncertainties you face, you are children of God."