Overview

• The dispensation, issued July 8, remains in effect until revoked or amended and applies to over 1.7 million Catholics across 92 parishes in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
• June 20 ICE operations at St. Adelaide Church in Highland and Our Lady of Lourdes in Montclair followed the Trump administration’s rescission of Biden-era sensitive-location protections.
• Jesuit priest James Martin lauded the decree as proof churches are no longer safe havens, while White House Border Czar Tom Homan dismissed it as baseless and denied any church arrests.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom argued the move shows immigrants must choose between their faith and freedom under current enforcement tactics.
• The San Bernardino measure echoes a May dispensation by the Diocese of Nashville and underscores intensifying church-state clashes over religious liberty and pastoral care.