Faith leaders tell City Council ICE raids have cut Mass attendance, driven self-deportation

Faith leaders and community organizers told the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday that the June 2025 round of immigration enforcement raids has terrorized congregations across Los Angeles and reduced participation in religious services by roughly 30–40 percent.

Robert Hu, lead organizer for 1 LA IAF, told the council the raids, and the military and federal deployments that followed, “have terrorized families and communities across Southern California,” and urged the city to document local impacts and partner with congregations.

The testimony included detailed accounts from clergy and lay leaders about how the raids have affected daily religious life and church finances. Father Joey Evangelista, associate pastor at Precious Blood and St. Kevin Catholic churches, said the parishes have seen “attendance has gone down from 40% to 50%” and that three parishioners he knows have been detained by ICE. He said one detained parishioner later was released on bail but “is not allowed to work” and remains closely monitored; the parish exhausted a $5,000 allocation from the Cardinal McIntyre fund paying legal fees.

Rabbi Dara Frimmer said institutions in 1 LA’s network host services in multiple languages and have seen sacramental celebrations such as baptisms fall sharply; she said one downtown church that normally performs 300 baptisms a week has seen attendance for baptisms drop by about 30 percent and that presence at those ceremonies has fallen by more than half. She told the council that reductions in attendance and in sacramental celebrations have translated into lost financial support for congregations and curtailed volunteer capacity.

Sheila Thomas, a lay leader at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Jefferson Park, described the community response that 1 LA has organized: “Our freedom schools…empower people by informing and training them to understand and assert their constitutional rights in the face of the ICE raids.” Thomas said the Freedom School model grew from a July 4 launch and that more than 25 sessions have taken place countywide, with about 1,000 participants so far.

Councilmember Paul Krekorian (appearing as Councilmember Yaroslavsky in the hearing introduction) and other members thanked speakers and asked questions about parish-level impacts. Councilmember Nithya Raman and others in remarks acknowledged the role faith institutions play as safe spaces and urged continued partnership; Councilmember Nithya Raman asked clergy how congregations can be supported and what city action would be most useful.

Speakers emphasized that the raids have produced both immediate harms—detentions at workplaces, Home Depot and other public sites—and longer-term effects including self-deportation by some parishioners and increased fear among parents and children. Father Evangelista described a parishioner whose court hearing was delayed to December because of an illness in detention and who, he said, “is routinely checked by ICE through a phone app” and no longer leaves home.

The testimony concluded with requests that the council document local impacts and consider partnering with faith and community organizations to expand “Freedom Schools” and other local support services. Robert Hu said formal hearings provide “justice, public accountability, and prophetic expression” and invited the council to continue convening such hearings.

The council did not take formal policy votes on the floor as part of this public hearing; members moved on to other agenda business after public comment and brief member remarks.