Faith leaders across Chicago are rallying against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after multiple clergy, including Rev. Hannah Kardon, were arrested and allegedly assaulted during protests outside a detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. The incidents have sparked a citywide wave of religious resistance to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, uniting pastors, priests, and professors from diverse faith traditions in a growing movement to protect immigrants at all costs.
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Pastor Assaulted During Prayer Protest
Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister from Chicago’s Rogers Park, was among several protesters demonstrating outside the ICE detention center when Illinois State Police advanced on the crowd. “God, please help these people to know that what they’re doing is wrong,” Kardon prayed moments before officers shoved her to the ground and arrested her. Video footage captured the shocking scene, showing police using batons against peaceful demonstrators. Kardon later revealed she suffered bruises but never stopped praying throughout the ordeal.
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Clergy Unite in Protest
Kardon’s arrest came as more than 210 Chicago-area clergy signed an open letter titled “Jesus is Being Tear Gassed at Broadview.” The letter condemned ICE for “hunting and terrorizing immigrant communities” and drew parallels to civil rights movements of the past. “We come offering bread and prayer, hope for justice and healing, we leave washing pepper spray out of each other’s eyes,” it reads. Signatories include pastors, professors, and church leaders across denominations, with over 100 new supporters joining since its release…