Post-2025, ICE pressured religious groups to report undocumented immigrants seeking shelter, citing "national security." Many churches refused, invoking "sanctuary traditions," yet face audits and public shaming. How do these faith communities hide immigrants while complying with tax laws? What tensions arise between religious freedom and federal enforcement?

Churches use "charity loopholes." They host immigrants as "volunteers" for food banks instead of "residents," so IRS audits find no rule-breaking. But this requires careful record-keeping—one Chicago church lost tax-exempt status after mixing volunteer logs .

Groups rotate shelters to avoid detection. A Catholic parish hosts a family for 2 weeks, then passes them to a Quaker meetinghouse. This "religious relay" hides patterns from ICE, but communication gaps sometimes leave families stranded .

Clergy frame aid as "biblical duty," not politics. They hold press conferences citing Jesus’ command to "welcome strangers," which sways moderate voters. This reduces public backlash but angers conservative congregants—several churches split over the issue .

Volunteers use "medical transport" ruses. Immigrants are driven in vans marked "church health outreach," and check-ins happen during Bible studies. This works until ICE started staking out places of worship—three volunteers in Texas were arrested in 2025 .

Churches partner with pro bono lawyers. They pre-file lawsuits challenging any ICE raids on sacred spaces, arguing violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This scares ICE off small congregations—they now target larger churches with more resources to fight .