[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians in the Diocese of Chicago are calling for the immediate release of a church member who was detained last month by federal immigration officials and is being held in a facility in Michigan.
The detainee, Willian Alberto Giménez González, has been active at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church on Chicago’s South Side since Fall 2023. The church is hosting a prayer vigil October 7, 2025, for González – and for all “our immigrant neighbors” – as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conduct raids and detain residents across the Chicago area.
“We believe that Willian’s detention is unjust, and that his immediate release would benefit not just Willian and his family but also our community and our country,” St. Paul and the Redeemer said in a written statement, González is an asylum-seeker who had recently received a work permit. “Yet ICE arrested him anyway and quickly moved him across state lines.”
How González was detained
González was taken into custody September 12, 2025, during an ICE traffic stop. His attorney told an American Prospect reporter that González, at the time of the incident, was taking his wife to get a haircut in a largely Latino neighborhood southwest of downtown Chicago. After being held briefly at an ICE facility in suburban Chicago, he was taken to a different ICE facility in Baldwin, Michigan, about 70 miles north of Grand Rapids.
“ICE is circumventing laws and processes to create terror in communities of people seeking a better life, and we are joining with Christians and others who feel spiritually compelled to call for justice and mercy,” St. Paul and the Redeemer said in its statement.
Immigration enforcement by ICE
ICE has taken an increasingly aggressive approach toward immigration enforcement in Chicago, the United States’ third largest city. It is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up arrests and deportations. It also fulfill a campaign promise of sharply reducing both legal and illegal immigration.
Early last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was launching a major immigrant enforcement action in Chicago that it dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” Since then, local officials, Democratic state legislators, immigrant advocates and residents have accused the Trump administration of heavy-handed tactics that have sometimes involved detentions of people with no criminal records or immigration violations.
More than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested in Chicago in the past month. It includes 37 on September 30 in an early-morning ICE raid that targeted one apartment building on Chicago’s South Side. Residents reported fearing they were under siege by a military-style operation. Agents reportedly landed on the building from helicopters, then went door to door making arrests.
President Donald Trump has vowed to further escalate the crackdown. He sent troops, including the Texas National Guard, into Chicago and other Democrat-led cities. He said reinforcements are needed to protect federal property and employees. After federal agents shot and injured a woman in Chicago on October 4, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Chicago a “war zone.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has accused the Trump administration of manufacturing a crisis and then making it worse. The ICE agents in Chicago were indiscriminately “picking up people who are brown and Black and then checking their credentials,” Pritzker said in an Oct. 5 interview with CNN. “They are the ones that are making it a war zone.”
Support from the Diocese of Chicago
The Diocese of Chicago has been active in helping immigrant communities and their supporters across northern Illinois respond to the presence of ICE and threats of arrest. A statement released September 10 by a group of diocesan ministry leaders affirmed that Episcopalians in Chicago were “standing in solidarity with immigrants and asylum-seekers.”
“We urge all diocesan churches, clergy, and laity to get involved as we redouble our efforts to welcome the stranger, protect the vulnerable and respect the dignity of every human being,” they said. They referenced an earlier pastoral letter from Chicago Bishop Paula Clark calling on Episcopalians to support “our immigrant siblings.”
“Anxiety and apprehension are rampant in our communities, especially those of people of color, who are affected by these threats. People are afraid to go to church, the grocery store, or even to work,” Clark said in her August 1 letter. “This is not merely about immigration – it is about justice, dignity, and the soul of our diocese.”
Support for González
The diocese has invited all members to join the prayer vigil at St. Paul and the Redeemer. It starts at 7 pm on October 7, in support of immigrants like González, the parishioner being held by ICE in Michigan.
González “is a faithful participant in our worship and gives financially to the church every week. He has helped cultivate the earth in our food garden and shared dinners in our homes. We pray and sing together,” the congregation said in its written statement protesting his detention. “Every Sunday we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion together recognizing that we are God’s beloved children created in God’s image, and all have a place at God’s Table.”
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network has raised $5,800 to support González through a GoFundMe campaign. The Diocese of Chicago also worked with the Diocese of the Great Lakes in Michigan to arrange for González to receive a pastoral visit with a priest at the facility.
His next immigration court date is October 8.
“I find myself surprised by all you have done to support me,” González said in a written statement released by the diocese. “It fills me up with hope and I ask God to help me get out of this place. I’m grateful to the church, from the bottom of my heart.”
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.
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Simplified Summary
🕊️ Church Asks for Release of Member Taken by ICE. Willian Alberto Giménez González goes to church at St. Paul and the Redeemer in Chicago. He was taken by immigration officers (ICE) on September 12 while driving his wife. He had a work permit and was asking to stay in the U.S. safely. ICE moved him to a jail in Michigan. 🙏 Church Response. His church says this is unfair and wants him released. They held a prayer event on October 7 to support him and other immigrants. Church leaders say Willian helps the church and is part of their family. 🚨 ICE Actions in Chicago. ICE has been arresting many immigrants in Chicago. Over 1,000 people were taken in one month. Some raids were very scary, with helicopters and soldiers. The president says this is to protect people, but others say it’s hurting families. ❤️ Support for Willian. The church raised money to help him. He got a visit from a priest while in jail. His next court date was October 8. Willian said he feels hopeful and thankful for the church’s love.
