First Congregational Church UCC in Fort Atkinson is sharing its policy for responding in the event Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up at the church or its associated preschool or day care center. “We recognize that having federal immigration agents on our property would discourage parents from bringing their children to Fort Atkinson Preschool and Childcare and First Congregational Church UCC as well as access services on behalf of their children,” the document says. The policy followed a decision by the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a Biden-era policy that protected certain “sensitive locations,” such as churches, hospitals and schools, from immigration enforcement. The childcare center serves a handful of multicultural students.
“The director and staff were concerned for the families of these students and were looking for a protocol to respond to the presence of ICE if needed,” the Rev. Sara Rabe, the congregation’s pastor, said in an email. “Knowing that churches are now exempt from providing sanctuary, a small team of people with policy and public service experience created a policy that would slow down the detainment process, should ICE come looking for immigrants.”
The preamble to the document makes clear that the aim is not to obstruct ICE agents, saying, “These protocols are not intended to interfere with the enforcement of federal immigration laws and are not political in nature,”