Apparently, ICE has become such a nationwide fear that even certain Christian churches could no longer ignore them, hence one church in Iowa is now going viral for teaching its constituents how to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE). Sadly for the church, many of its fellow Christians and conservatives are not fond of the teachings, leading to backlash and debates about Christ’s teachings.
The viral footage above was from Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was posted on February 1, 2026. In the video, you can see a simulation of an ICE raid, where a fake masked federal agent was escorting a fake illegal immigrant, and the people in the church were invited to react, film, and question the fake ICE agent so they’ll supposedly know what to do against the real ones.
You can even hear some church followers shouting “Show us an arrest warrant,” to the fake ICE agent as part of their drill. The video has since gone viral, with millions of views across multiple social media sites. The training session was reportedly organized by Escucha Mi Voz, an immigrant-rights nonprofit, and designed to teach people how to act as “legal observers” by recording officers, asking for warrants, and communicating with others nearby, all the while avoiding physical interference.
Participants were initially rattled by the simulations. “It was a shock,” attendee Theresa Keller said, transcript courtesy of KCRG. However, organizers repeated the exercise, and the second time, more people filmed, requested documentation, and coordinated responses. Rev. Jonathan Heifner then emphasized that recording interactions without obstructing officers was central to the training.
Conservatives didn’t like what the Christian church did
Online, reaction was swift and deeply polarized. Apparently, some social media users demanded the federal government revoke the church’s tax-exempt status or shut it down entirely, while others defended the effort as consistent with Christian teachings on mercy and justice. One viral post mocked the backlash, writing, “It’s a church doing church things,” alongside biblical references to protecting the persecuted.
The uproar comes amid sustained anti-ICE protests across the country, particularly in Minnesota, where deadly encounters involving federal agents earlier this year have intensified activism. National Shutdown Day demonstrations, student walkouts, and school closures in several states have added more spark to the resistance, so to speak.
While there was no shortage of outrage from certain Christians who also called out the Methodist church, leaving comments like “I started to go to a Methodist church. It took two sermons to realize it was a club, not a serious Christian Faith organization,” some have also praised the congregation, calling them “The real patriots!!!!!”
