Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson addresses more than 12,000 youths in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the opening session of the National Catholic Youth Conference on Nov. 16. (OSV News photo\/Natalie Hoefer, The Criterion)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe dispensation, issued in accord with canon law, remains in effect until Sept. 30 \u201cunless extended by decree,\u201d said Archbishop Thompson.<\/p>\n
He directed those \u201cwho find it necessary to avail themselves of this dispensation\u201d to watch livestreamed or televised Mass, to contemplate the Scripture readings for Sunday and to pray the rosary \u201cto supplement their Sunday and holy day spiritual practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
The archbishop urged pastors and \u201call those who minister to the faithful\u201d within the Indianapolis Archdiocese \u201cto attend to the spiritual needs of those who must avail themselves of this dispensation \u2014 to the extent possible \u2014 especially regarding the sacraments of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, or the distribution of holy Communion to the homebound.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his decree, Archbishop Thompson cited \u201can increase in immigration enforcement measures in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis\u201d that have caused \u201ca significant increase in fear and anxiety among our immigrant communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a bilingual statement accompanying the decree, Archbishop Thompson specifically noted a \u201crecent surge in immigration enforcement activity in Indiana\u201d that \u201chas caused fear and uncertainty for many families, particularly when detention results in the sudden separation of parents and children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile recognizing the need for law enforcement to protect and defend, it is gravely concerning to witness families being torn apart,\u201d the archbishop said. \u201cThe family, the fabric of stability in our society, must be cherished and defended.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cThe inherent dignity of being created in the image of God demands that every person be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immigration detentions have soared in recent months, with data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showing that over 43,000 individuals were apprehended in June \u2014 the highest monthly total since the start of the second Trump administration, according to CBS News.<\/p>\n
Citing agency sources, the outlet reported that the spike in detentions comes as ICE is under pressure to ensure 2,000 arrests per day. At the same time, CBS News was told by a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security that ICE has not been assigned arrest quotas.<\/p>\n
Following a brief pause in high-profile detention operations \u2014 which followed fatal shootings of Minneapolis protestors Alex Pretti and Renee Good \u2014 ICE has resumed its sweeps with an eye to reducing media attention.<\/p>\n
CBS News reported that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, speaking to reporters on July 20, described the approach as a way to \u201cturn down the temperature\u201d with media while \u201cturning up the heat on the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
That same month, two Texas bishops \u2014 Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria \u2014 issued a joint statement lamenting deadly immigration enforcement encounters, following three separate deaths recorded days apart in July amid ICE operations.<\/p>\n
In an August pastoral letter, fellow Texas prelate Archbishop Gustavo Garc\u00eda-Siller of San Antonio said that during visits to the three immigration detention centers within the archdiocese \u2014 including a family detention center in Dilley, Texas \u2014 he had \u201cwitnessed, firsthand, violations of human dignity within their walls.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also cited data from an investigation led by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, which found \u201cmore than 1,000 credible reports of human-rights abuses in immigration detention since January 2025, including medical neglect, denial of food and water, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and the separation of breastfeeding mothers from their infants.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Guardian investigation published Sept. 5 also revealed Immigration and Customs Enforcement has engaged in \u201cinvoluntary medical procedures\u201d to force-feed 19 hunger strikers in detention, and obtained a federal judge\u2019s permission to surgically insert a feeding tube directly into a Cuban man\u2019s stomach against his will.<\/p>\n
Archbishop Gustavo-Siller noted the overwhelming majority of those in immigration detention have no criminal convictions. As of July 11, 70.6% of the 65,765 held in detention lacked any criminal conviction, according to Syracuse University\u2019s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.<\/p>\n
U.S. immigration detention policies have also drawn international condemnation, with United Nations human rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk renewing his call Sept. 7 for accountability over rising deaths in ICE facilities.<\/p>\n
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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