Dallas Church Cages Holy Family in Barbed Wire, Removes Baby Jesus, to Push Open Borders Agenda
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas has sparked controversy after transforming its Christmas nativity display into an overt political statement targeting U.S. immigration enforcement.
Inside the church, the altar has been left empty and marked with a sign reading “ICE was here.” Outside, figures of Mary and Joseph are depicted inside a barbed-wire enclosure on the church steps, notably without the baby Jesus. The display has drawn strong reactions online, with many accusing the church of politicizing a sacred Christian tradition.
Associate Pastor Isabel Marquez openly acknowledged the political nature of the display in an interview with WFAA. “Is it political? Probably,” she said. “But this is the time and space that we are in right now.”
Marquez framed the display as a commentary on immigration, repeatedly comparing modern migrants to the Holy Family. She spoke of people “trying to seek help for assistance and for refuge” while being turned away, drawing a direct parallel to Mary and Joseph being denied shelter. She described the display as an act of what she called “sacred resistance.”
‼️DALLAS — To protest ICE, Oak Lawn UMC has put the Holy Family in a cage and removed baby Jesus.
Story incoming @DallasExpress
🧵1/ pic.twitter.com/KXwOW01oCE
— Logan Washburn (@loganwashburn76) December 15, 2025
Church officials posted signs:
“HOLY ARE TRANS LIVES”
“HOLY ARE OUR UNSHELTERED NEIGHBORS”
(The church also asked them to refrain from sleeping, littering, and to “not use the outside of the building as a restroom.”)
— Logan Washburn (@loganwashburn76) December 15, 2025
OAK lawn Methodist church ⛪️ downtown Dallas in the heart of the GayeborHood.
“We need to stop romanticizing the birth of Jesus Christ”
Is their message.
100% anti-Deportation. pic.twitter.com/1jFk4E4u43— Texas Babbler 🇺🇲 🫣 (@TheTrailerDan) December 16, 2025
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church anti-ICE nativity display
Dallas TX
Rachel Griffin-Allison
Rachel@olumc.org214-521-5197 pic.twitter.com/UWpahfJXQQ
— Goyslop (@DallasConcern) December 18, 2025
She further argued that Jesus himself was political, stating, “Let’s see who he was hanging out with, who he was defending all the time.” According to Marquez, the nativity scene is meant to suggest that Americans today are being confronted with a moral test similar to that faced by the innkeepers in the biblical account. “This Holy Family is telling us that we are receiving that knock on our doors too,” she said.
The backlash has been swift on social media, with critics accusing the church of using Christmas imagery to promote a partisan agenda.
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church has a history of progressive activism. In recent years, it painted its steps in rainbow colors after Governor Greg Abbott halted rainbow-painted crosswalks. The church has also hosted events such as drag performances and transgender clothing swaps, reinforcing critics’ claims that the nativity display is part of a broader ideological pattern rather than an isolated incident.
A since-deleted video showing Oak Lawn United Methodist Church getting ready to host a ‘Trans clothing swap’ pic.twitter.com/nW2v2SkEEB
— Protestia (@Protestia) December 18, 2025
Similar immigration-themed nativity scenes have appeared in churches across the country this holiday season. As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, displayed a nativity scene featuring baby Jesus with zip-tie handcuffs around his wrists in protest of ICE enforcement actions.
The church claimed the imagery referenced children who were zip-tied during a raid on a Chicago apartment building earlier this year, noting that many residents were U.S. citizens. According to the church, the display was intended as a “stark reminder” that immigration enforcement, in their view, causes fear regardless of legal status.
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