Several churches across the country are setting up nativity scenes this holiday season that make a political statement about immigration enforcement, with some depicting the Holy Family as missing or detained.

These nativity displays come as faith leaders continue to advocate for immigrant communities amid the Trump administration's aggressive immigration agenda.

At St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, the traditional nativity scene is empty except for a sign reading "ICE was here" and noting "the Holy Family is safe in the sanctuary of our church."

Similarly, at Urban Village Church in River Forest, Illinois, the nativity scene displays a sign stating: "Due to ICE activity in our community, the Holy Family is in hiding."

Another at Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, shows a more dramatic scene where baby Jesus is zip-tied and wrapped in an emergency blanket, separated from his parents by a wire fence. Mary and Joseph wear gas masks, while figures representing Romans wear makeshift vests labeled "ICE."

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In a Facebook post, Lake Street Church explained their installation "is not subtle because the crisis it addresses is not abstract."

"The Holy Family were refugees," the post continues. "By witnessing this familiar story through the reality faced by migrants today, we hope to restore its radical edge, and to ask what it means to celebrate the birth of a refugee child while turning away those who follow in that child's footsteps."

Abby Holcombe, site pastor at Urban Village Church just outside Chicago, told Scripps News she intentionally created the nativity showing the Holy Family as missing after seeing the display at St. Susanna Parish.

"I was very intentional when when I made the sign to just like say the facts. There has been ICE activity in our community. And if a child who is brown, who was born into a refugee family today in the Chicagoland area, they would probably be in hiding if not already disappeared. And that's not a political statement. That's just stating the facts. If that's a political statement, then Jesus' life was political," Holcombe said.

Since President Trump's second term, houses of worship and faith leaders have increasingly entered the debate around immigration policy in the U.S.

Holcombe pointed to the United Methodist Church updated its stance on immigration at the start of President Trump's second term. The statement "urged United Methodists to welcome migrants, refugees and immigrants into their congregations and commit themselves to providing concrete support, including help with navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment and other kinds of support."

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Last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a special message for the first time in 12 years, opposing "indiscriminate mass deportation," advocating for "meaningful immigration reform," and calling for an end to "dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement."

ICE acting Director Todd Lyons criticized nativity display outside of St. Susanna Parish, calling the pastor an "activist reverend" and saying his actions "are absolutely abhorrent" and add to dangerous narratives responsible for assaults on ICE officers.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston told the Dedham church to remove the ICE-related sign. However, the church's pastor says the nativity scene aligns with the U.S. Catholic Bishops' message on immigration and that it has received overwhelming support from parishioners.

A DHS immigration enforcement operation dubbed "Operation Catahoula Crunch" began earlier this week in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a goal of 5,000 arrests over two months.

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who is leading the operation, arrived in the city earlier in the week.

CBP has posted videos on social media showing arrests. One video shows agents pulling roofers from a job in Kenner, Louisiana, west of New Orleans.

This focus on New Orleans comes after similar high-profile operations in cities like Chicago and LA, as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.

Target are largely in Democrat-led states and cities identified as sanctuary jurisdictions.

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U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is from Louisiana, said Thursday he supported the operation.

"Democrats' sanctuary city policies have failed making our American communities dangerous. The people of our GREAT city deserve better, and help is now on the ground," Johnson wrote.

On the ground, communities are on edge. Streets and businesses are empty in cities with high concentrations of Hispanic residents and Vietnamese communities.

Many of those Vietnamese residents in particular endured waves of displacement to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam war, after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Some have spent the past half century building lives and deep roots in New Orleans.

Thi Bui, a resident who was born at the end of the war, came to the U.S. as a refugee at age 3 and lives in New Orleans. She told Scripps News this DHS operation feels like a betrayal for the community that has sought refuge here and has had a significant cultural impact on cities like New Orleans.

"The folks who came here in the 70s were allies of the U.S. in a proxy war that the U.S. got involved in, you know, probably shouldn't have gotten involved in, but because the U.S. was there, now the refugees of that war have to come here," she said. "And they rebuilt their lives from scratch, and now this is their home. It's been over 50 years that the Vietnamese have been in the U.S. and in New Orleans. They've raised families, opened businesses, become part of the culture, the fabric of this country. And now they're getting ripped apart. Their families are getting torn apart. They are in a constant state of dread. And it's really hard to live like that."

A federal immigration crackdown branded Operation Swamp Sweep is set to begin this week, with 250 Border Patrol agents expected to be deployed to New Orleans and Mississippi. The mission is part of President Donald Trumps broader immigration enforcement strategy.

Similar operations have already rolled out in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina. Unlike those locations, Louisianas Republican governor is welcoming the federal involvement.

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Officials say the operation aims to arrest about 5,000 people in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed at least four arrests so far in Gretna, Louisiana.

In an interview with Scripps News, Jordan Bridges, organizing director for the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, expressed concern about the impact on the citys immigrant community.

New Orleans is a beautiful city and that has a history of resistance, Bridges said. And so, I'm seeing exactly that.

I can tell you that groups are organizing, he added. I can tell you that individuals that are directly impacted are organizing.

Louisiana State Rep. Matthew Willard said Border Patrol has not been forthcoming with local officials about operational details.

"Our police chief here in the city of New Orleans has had conversations with Border Patrol. The information that has been provided is not reassuring and not really many details being provided, Willard said. So we're really in the dark.

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New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno shared legal resources on Instagram and urged residents to know their rights.

My first priority is keeping our community safe, Moreno wrote. The reports of due process violations and potential abuses in other cities are concerning. I want our community to be aware and informed of the protections available under law. We must demand accountability and that peoples rights are not violated.

The Department of Homeland Security told Scripps News that it enforces federal laws daily but declined to discuss specifics of future or ongoing operations. It remains unclear how long Operation Swamp Sweep will last.