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An ICEy Christmas

by Rachel Coyle
December 25, 2025
Love thy neighbor sign

Photo by Paul Becker

This article first appeared on Substack

I live in Columbus, Ohio, one of several cities that has been terrorized by ICE raids in recent months. It’s been tough to get into the Christmas spirit while our neighbors live in fear of masked goons jumping them in the Kroger parking lot.

As a Catholic, I struggle to understand how anyone who has read or studied the Bible can support such inhumane practices. Did you know the Bible says baby Jesus became a refugee mere months after he was born?

Here’s a quick summary: King Herod heard about Jesus from the three wise men / Magi / kings who were following the famous star to bring the baby gifts.

Herod felt threatened, so he tried to find out where Jesus was and have him killed. Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus then fled to Egypt, which was outside Herod’s reach, and stayed there until Herod’s death. This is pretty obviously a story to help people understand the plight of refugees.It’s been especially painful to watch people twist themselves into knots trying to defend the Trump Administration’s inhumane immigration “policies.” The Bible is incredibly clear on this topic. The Bible not only commands Christians to treat refugees, immigrants, and “aliens” with humanity, it says we must treat them the same way we treat citizens:

If you celebrate ICE, you should not celebrate Christmas. It’s really that simple.

I’ve also had some MAGA supporters tell me (with no hint of irony) that I shouldn’t be using ancient religious texts to defend modern political beliefs.

“The concept of borders was different during the Roman empire. There’s no comparison to today’s immigration issues.”

There’s no good response except a deep sigh and “I’ll gladly stop when MAGA does.”

In the meantime, here are some resources to help you share the true meaning of Christmas with your Columbus neighbors. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, melt ICE.