St. Louis Archdiocese sues over ICE detainee sacrament restrictions
The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 5 challenging restrictions that prevent Catholic priests from providing sacraments to individuals held in ICE custody at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center.
The suit contends that the policy infringes on the Church’s First Amendment right to free exercise of religion and deprives detainees of a core element of their faith. Plaintiffs include Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, Father Chris Schroeder, who ministers to detainees, and the archdiocese itself.
Under the detention‑center policy, priests may only speak with detainees by phone through a glass partition, and are barred from hearing confessions, distributing the Eucharist, or celebrating Mass. A jail official once suggested placing the Eucharist in a plastic bag for a guard to deliver, a proposal the archdiocese described as inadequate.
The complaint names Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff Gary Stolzer, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and ICE officials as defendants. It seeks a preliminary injunction to halt the restrictions while the case proceeds in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Archbishop Rozanski wrote to jail administrators in May requesting greater access for priests, and followed up with another request in August; both were denied. The archdiocese says it tried to resolve the dispute amicably before turning to the courts.
Legal analysts note that federal judges have previously granted clergy access to immigration detainees in Illinois and Minnesota, allowing pastoral visits and sacraments. The St. Louis case adds to a broader national dialogue about the balance between immigration enforcement and religious liberty.
The lawsuit argues that the restrictions treat clergy differently from other visitors; attorneys and consular officials may meet detainees face‑to‑face without barriers. The archdiocese emphasizes that denying confession and communion causes “real and immediate harm” to Catholic detainees.
The case remains pending, and the court’s decision on the preliminary injunction will determine whether priests can resume full sacramental ministry at the facility while the litigation continues.
