Survey finds immigration enforcement activity at schools, courthouses

Immigration enforcement activity is taking place at courthouses, schools, and near churches, with 39 of 49 faith-based organizations surveyed reporting such incidents, according to researchers examining enforcement’s effects on ministries and immigrant families.

Ashley Feasley of The Catholic University of America’s Immigration Law and Policy Initiative outlined her preliminary findings in a report about how expanded U.S. immigration enforcement is affecting faith‑based service providers and immigrant communities.

The report is a partnership among CUA’s law school, the Immigration Law and Policy Initiative, and the National Catholic School of Social Services.

Feasley spoke during a Sept. 23 National Migration Week webinar hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with Bishop Brendan Cahill of Joliet, Illinois; Jenny Cachaya of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network; and Haydee Diaz of Catholic Relief Services Honduras.

Cachaya said more than 145,000 U.S.-citizen children have had a parent booked into immigration detention since January 2025.

That estimate predates the most recent increase in immigration enforcement activity, Feasley said. According to U.S.…