(OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA) The side doors of St. Jarlath Catholic Church open early now, long before morning Mass. Families slip in quietly, some carrying bags packed in case they never go back to their apartments. As deportations in California climb sharply in 2025, churches like this one in East Oakland are turning into sanctuaries for immigrants who fear that any knock on the door could be Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
A sharp rise in deportations and a renewed sanctuary response
State data show that deportations in California increased by 78% in the first seven months of 2025, reaching about 5,500 people removed compared with the same period a year earlier. That jump has shaken immigrant neighborhoods from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and pushed more undocumented workers, parents, and asylum seekers to look for shelter in church buildings they once knew only as places to pray.
Many now sleep in parish halls, basements, and makeshift dormitories set up between folding chairs and boxes of donated clothing. At St. Jarlath Catholic Church, parish volunteers arrange evening vigils and prayer services that draw inspiration from Pope Francis’s repeated calls to protect the dignity, freedom, and peace of migrants.
Candles line the steps of the main altar during these services, while community organizers sit in the back, pairing families with volunteer lawyers and translators. The parish has become one of several informal sanctuaries in Oakland, offering not just spiritual support but also connections to legal aid, food, and emergency housing.
“These churches have become frontline institutions where moral arguments, legal fears, and daily survival meet,” say organizers and clergy working with immigrant families.
Why churches are becoming centers of support
Across the United States 🇺🇸, church leaders say they feel pulled into a more public role as federal enforcement tightens. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the rise in deportation numbers has revived an old pattern: when arrests grow and trust in authorities falls, more people turn to faith communities they already know.
These churches have deep roots in immigrant life. Typical roles include:
- Hosting English classes and children’s catechism
- Offering informal social networks and trusted spaces
- Serving as access points for legal, translation, and health referrals
The sanctuary movement now reaches beyond churches to include synagogues, mosques, temples, and interfaith coalitions that coordinate with national refugee organizations.
Historical context of the sanctuary movement
The modern sanctuary movement did not begin in 2025. Religious historians trace its roots to the 19th-century Underground Railroad, when faith groups helped enslaved people escape to free states and Canada 🇨🇦. Another wave came during the 1980s, when U.S. churches sheltered Central American refugees fleeing civil wars and violence.
Today’s network follows that tradition but with updated tools:
- Parish-run legal clinics
- Online fundraising
- Coordination with national refugee organizations (e.g., HIAS, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service)
Legal risks and practical restraints
Legal scholars point out that the law has not created a special shield for churches. Under federal rules, ICE can legally carry out operations on church property, and worship centers have no formal immunity from immigration enforcement. However, in practice, officers have mostly stayed away from chapels, sanctuaries, and parish offices.
That restraint stems from long-standing public pressure and the political risk of images showing agents entering sacred spaces. Still, lawyers warn that congregations face real legal danger if they actively hide immigrants from authorities or transport them with the clear goal of avoiding arrest.
Key legal considerations for congregations:
- Maintain careful records of actions taken to help individuals
- Train volunteers on legal boundaries and protocols
- Avoid actions that could be interpreted as intentionally concealing people from law enforcement
- Create written policies outlining what help the congregation will and will not provide
California’s state-level protections in 2025
In 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed several bills aimed at restricting immigration enforcement in so-called sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and churches. Notable measures include:
| Bill | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Assembly Bill 49 | Limits certain types of immigration enforcement at sensitive locations |
| Senate Bill 81 | Further restricts cooperation or enforcement actions in designated areas |
| Senate Bill 98 | Adds protections intended to reduce disruption in immigrant communities |
Supporters say the laws help families feel safer sending children to class or seeking medical care without worrying that an ICE vehicle will be waiting outside. Church leaders say those protections make it easier to run public programs without driving people deeper into the shadows.
While the state laws can’t stop federal deportations, they offer some local guardrails, limiting how much state and local agencies may cooperate with federal immigration operations on or near church grounds.
How congregations are organizing practical support
The sanctuary movement in 2025 is broader and more organized than in past decades. Many congregations coordinate with national organizations such as HIAS and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), which help connect families to lawyers, counselors, and case managers.
Common forms of support provided by faith communities:
- Temporary shelter (parish halls, basements, spare rooms)
- Food drives and donated clothing
- Volunteer legal referrals and clinics
- Translators and case management
- Workshops on basic rights and emergency planning
Parishes often draw on public resources while remaining critical of federal immigration policy. For example, many efforts reference materials and guidance from agencies like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, even as advocates strongly criticize the same agency’s role in deportations.
The human impact: daily survival and legal uncertainty
For people sleeping on church floors, the debate in Washington feels far away. Parents focus on practical questions:
- How to contact a lawyer if a relative is detained
- Who can pick up the kids from school
- What happens to a family’s apartment if both adults are taken into custody
In response, some parishes hold weekend workshops on basic rights, where volunteers explain, in simple language, what to do if immigration agents knock at the door. Many of these efforts are designed to be accessible and actionable for families under stress.
Moral duty versus legal caution
Attorneys who advise congregations emphasize the need for structure and legal awareness: training, written policies, and clear boundaries. Yet many clergy members say they feel a moral duty that sits above legal caution.
At St. Jarlath Catholic Church, parishioners frame their effort as an answer to Pope Francis’s call for the defense of migrants’ dignity and freedom. Similar language appears in Sunday homilies across the state, where pastors ask worshippers to donate money, time, guest rooms, and rides to court hearings.
Wider coalition and coordination
The contemporary sanctuary movement includes:
- Interfaith coalitions (synagogues, mosques, temples)
- Long-standing immigrant aid groups
- National organizations providing legal and case management support
Together they form an informal safety net: a mix of couches, spare rooms, parish halls, and donation drives that can keep a family off the street while their immigration case moves forward.
Broader enforcement context
This work takes place against a longer backdrop of changing federal enforcement policies. The aggressive approach that expanded under President Trump left deep scars in immigrant communities, and many families say they still live with that memory even as administrations change in Washington.
Advocates note that while priorities and public messaging from federal officials may shift, the underlying system of detention and removal remains powerful. The 2025 increase in deportations in California, they argue, shows how quickly enforcement can intensify again.
Closing note: hope and uncertainty
As the number of sanctuaries for immigrants grows once again, the gap between federal enforcement power and local support networks is widening. The sharp rise in deportations in California has turned churches into frontline institutions, where moral arguments, legal fears, and daily survival all meet.
For the families staying at St. Jarlath and other parishes, the hope is simple: that these old brick buildings will remain places of peace long enough for the law, and the country, to offer them a more permanent home.
This Article in a Nutshell
Deportations in California rose sharply in early 2025—about 78% higher, totaling roughly 5,500 removals—prompting churches like St. Jarlath to provide shelter, legal aid, and community support. State bills (AB 49, SB 81, SB 98) limit enforcement at sensitive locations, but federal agencies can still operate on church property. Congregations coordinate with national groups for legal clinics and aid while adopting policies and training to balance humanitarian response with legal risks.
