Faith leaders allowed inside Broadview ICE facility for Ash Wednesday

BROADVIEW, Ill. - Church leaders were allowed inside the Broadview ICE Detention Facility on Wednesday to offer Ash Wednesday sacraments to detainees for the first time.

What we know:

The visit comes after a federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to permit religious access inside the facility.

Faith leaders spent about two hours inside. They said they were not allowed to discuss conditions within the detention center but described the moment as emotional.

Four detainees and three staff members received ashes and communion. Clergy members said detainees appeared confused, scared and visibly defeated.

 "This is the body of Christ, bringing the body of Christ to the body of Christ," Father Paul Keller said.

Father Leandro Fossa and Sister Alicia Gutierrez accompanied Keller inside the facility. They were escorted by police.

Keller said the encounter was moving.

"That body is broken and it’s hurting," Keller said.

Fossa described seeing "crying eyes, confusion and uncertainty," but said the detainees appeared comforted by the church’s presence.

Church leaders said the service was intended to highlight what they call a moral crisis inside detention centers and to show solidarity with immigrant communities. They added that staff members were accommodating and there were no issues during the visit.

Following the service, Cardinal Cupich led an outdoor Ash Wednesday Mass in Melrose Park for families of those detained or deported. A community procession followed.

"Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy — and the right of incarcerated persons to pastoral care is recognized nationwide," Cupich said in a statement. "We are grateful that the courts have acknowledged this reality and allowed these detainees the comfort of their faith on Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season."