Kansas City Church Moves Services to Basement to Shield Undocumented Immigrants from ICE

A Kansas City, Kansas, church has moved its services to a basement to shield undocumented immigrants from federal immigration enforcement, a report states.

"It is ironic and shameful, is it not, that the safe spaces we call sanctuaries are no longer safe spaces," Rick Behrens, senior pastor at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, told the Kansas Reflector. "Because we are under attack from our own government."

The Reflector reported that services now take place in a locked church basement. Behrens shifted them there after the administration allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to enter churches.

In January 2025, the Trump administration ended a Biden-era policy that limited immigration enforcement in or near houses of worship, schools, hospitals and other protected areas. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said at the time the change would empower law enforcement and prevent criminals from hiding in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest.

The church has also started training community activists. Volunteers learn to spot immigration enforcement officers, accompany immigrants and monitor courts, the report said.

Behrens joined faith leaders and immigration activists at an interfaith prayer vigil last week. They urged larger churches to act as Kansas City readies to host six FIFA World Cup matches this summer.

Other leaders have prepared for possible ICE raids. Jess Ferrell, executive director of the Center of Grace community center, organized volunteers to escort 48 children home after an anonymous tip about a raid at the church's parent pickup.

"We realized we do not have a way to safely get the kids off our property home with their parents, who are at work, because armed agents might show up and try to kidnap their parents in front of them, using children as bait," Ferrell told the Reflector.

Jacob Poindexter, senior minister at Wichita United Church of Christ, called it a moral choice between supporting immigrants and opposing federal enforcement.

"Which side are you going to be on? Which side are we going to take a risk for?" he asked. "Because you're taking a risk, no matter which side you choose. If you do nothing, you are taking a risk. If you do something, at least it's a worthwhile risk."

In January, the Kansas City Council passed a five-year ban on permits for non-municipal detention centers, halting plans for an ICE facility after community backlash, KCUR reported.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.