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The bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino, one of the largest in the nation, is exempting those of the faith from attending Sunday mass due to federal immigration raids.

It’s the latest move among some leaders of faith in California who’ve taken public stances in support of immigrants in recent weeks, from an open letter from Episcopal bishops in the state to religious leaders attending immigration court proceedings in San Diego.

Bishop Alberto Rojas issued a decree exempting members of the Diocese of San Bernardino from attending Sunday mass should they have a “genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions.” The Diocese of San Bernardino, which covers San Bernardino and Riverside counties, said it’s the sixth-largest diocese in the nation and serves a Catholic population of one million.

The decree, Rojas said, is out of recognition that immigration enforcement, including from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “may deter some members of our diocese from fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation,” according to the decree shared on Facebook.

He said that such fear “constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful.”

Rojas encouraged those exempted to practice other ways to maintain their faith, including participating in televised or online masses from the diocese.

The decree also reminds that pastors, parochial vicars, and other pastoral ministers are “to provide compassionate support to those affected by this fear, ensuring that they feel welcomed and safe in our communities.”

Diocese of San Bernardino previously offered support to immigrant community

Rojas’ decree comes as federal immigration enforcement has reportedly occurred on church grounds in California. Earlier this year, the Trump administration rescinded a policy that prevented such actions from occurring at “sensitive locations” like places of worship.

Rojas previously called on political leaders in late June to approach immigration enforcement in a way that “respects human rights” and "dignity" and that “builds toward a more lasting, comprehensive reform of our immigration system.”

“We have seen a change and an increase in immigration enforcement in our region and specifically in our diocese,” Rojas said in a statement in June. “Authorities are now seizing brothers and sisters indiscriminately, without respect for their right to due process and their dignity as children of God. I say once again to our immigrant communities who are bearing the trauma and injustice of these tactics that your Church walks with you and supports you.”

How have other faith leaders in California responded to ICE?

The Episcopal bishops of El Camino Real, San Joaquin, California, San Diego, Los Angeles and Northern California released an open letter on June 10 addressing the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests.

“In all six of our dioceses, people are concerned and fearful about the denial of due process for those detained and the potential for ICE raids targeting beloved community institutions and people working to support their families,” the letter said.

“People feel angry and threatened that the haven they sought in our communities is no longer safe,” the letter continued. “US citizens and legal residents feel deep grief at losing beloved friends and family members. Children whose parents are deported face uncertain futures. In our churches, we strive to protect our members who are at risk.”

The bishops wrote that the Episcopal church upholds a “tradition of advocating for civil rights and supporting the vulnerable.”

“We stand for fierce love and for justice that leads to peace, as well as societal practices that preserve human dignity,” they said. “With God’s help, we will speak and pray on behalf of all in this situation.”

Last month, Bishop Michael Pham of the Diocese of San Diego, Imam Taha Hassane of the Islamic Center of San Diego, and other religious leaders visited a federal immigration court in San Diego to stand in solidarity with people making court appearances, Courthouse News Service reported.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that “Pham and others witnessed ICE agents in the hallway as they entered the courtrooms,” but that the federal agents eventually left; People with immigrant support organizations noted a difference due to the presence of the faith leaders.

A statement posted on the Diocese of San Diego’s website likened caring for immigrants and refugees to a church teaching requiring people to protect “the most vulnerable,” such as the elderly.

And Resident Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank of the Los Angeles area of the United Methodist Church called on followers of Jesus Christ to “stand with those being ripped apart from their families” and called on people in power to protect immigrants and to use their time and expertise to “pass laws to correct the unjust system we have inherited” in a statement on June 7.

“Pray for the ICE agents to lay down their weapons,” Escobedo-Frank said in her call to action to people of faith. “Pray for the leaders of our world, asking that they would seek peace above all.”

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.

A California bishop lifted the Sunday Mass obligation in his diocese, citing some parishioners’ fears of potential immigration enforcement actions as the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign sweeps the country.

San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas issued a decree on Tuesday saying that all members of his diocese “who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation” until further notice.

The Diocese of San Bernardino includes 1.6 million Roman Catholic believers across San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California, according to the diocese’s website. Both counties have large Latino populations.

“In issuing this decree, I am guided by the Church’s mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all those entrusted to my care, particularly those who face fear or hardship,” Rojas wrote.

He cited “the concerns expressed by many of our brothers and sisters regarding fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities.”

Canon law of the Catholic Church states that “a diocesan bishop, whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good, is able to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws issued for his territory or his subjects by the supreme authority of the Church,” according to Rojas’ decree.

The bishop’s exemption marked an extraordinary step, given that Sunday Mass attendance is a requirement for observant Catholics.

Catholic bishops have occasionally granted Mass exemptions during natural disasters, war or societal events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. But this appears to be the first time a bishop has invoked such a decree over immigration enforcement. ... Failure to attend Mass ‘unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor’ is a mortal sin, according to the Roman Catholic Catechism.

In his decree on Tuesday, Rojas encouraged those dispensed from Mass to “maintain their spiritual communion with Christ” in various ways, including through personal prayer and participating in televised or online Masses.

Following reports of raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in his diocese last month, Rojas issued a statement “on the very painful and challenging topic of immigration.”

“While we surely respect and appreciate the right of law enforcement to keep our communities safe from violent criminals, we are now seeing agents detain people as they leave their homes, in their places of work and other randomly chosen public settings,” he wrote. “We have experienced at least one case of ICE agents entering a parish property and seizing several people. It should be no surprise that this is creating a tremendous amount of fear, confusion and anxiety for many. It is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — which guides us in all that we do.”

LOS ANGELES — San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas, who leads more than 1.5 million Catholics in Southern California, has formally excused parishioners from their weekly obligation to attend Mass following immigration detentions on two parish properties in the diocese.

The dispensation is a move usually reserved for extenuating circumstances, like the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. But Rojas says it's necessary because the fear of being apprehended and possibly deported has swept communities, including Catholic churches.

"There is a real fear gripping many in our parish communities that if they venture out into any kind of public setting they will be arrested by immigration officers," Rojas said in a statement Wednesday.

"Sadly, that includes attending Mass. The recent apprehension of individuals at two of our Catholic parishes has only intensified that fear. I want our immigrant communities to know that their Church stands with them and walks with them through this trying time."

Save for a serious reason, Catholics are obligated by their faith to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. In May, the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee issued a similar statement following immigra

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INSIDE: How a community organization is fighting back as Los Angeles ICE raids ramp up

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tion enforcement actions in the area, excusing those fearful of attending Mass from their holy obligation, though it was not named as a formal dispensation.

Rojas is an immigrant himself. He was born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He has been consistent in his support of immigrants and said when he assumed this role that it would be one of his top priorities.

In early June, the Trump administration significantly ramped up immigration arrests and raids in Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles, with federal agents conducting sweeps in workplaces and public spaces and apprehending hundreds.

Last month, as federal agents made arrests and the federal government deployed the National Guard to maintain order amid protests in Los Angeles, Rojas issued a statement calling out federal agents entering parish properties and "seizing several people," creating an environment of fear and confusion.

"It is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — which guides us in all that we do," he said. "I ask all political leaders and decision-makers to please reconsider these tactics immediately in favor of an approach that respects human rights and human dignity and builds toward a more lasting, comprehensive reform of our immigration system."

Created in 1978, the diocese serves over 1.5 million Catholics in Riverside County, which is 52.5% Latino, and San Bernardino County, which is 56.4% Latino, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Members of local parishes who are in the U.S. without documents have made positive contributions to their communities "with no other issues than their legal status," the bishop said.

"Most of them are here because they wanted to save their families; they had no other option. I believe that they would love to be legalized, but who can help them?"

Rojas said he knows these people would be in church but for the threat to their safety and their family unity.

"With all the worry and anxiety that they are feeling I wanted to take away, for a time, the burden they may be feeling from not being able to fulfill this commitment to which our Catholic faithful are called," Rojas said.

Pastor Omar Coronado with Inland Congregations United for Change, a faith-based nonprofit serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties, called the bishop's decree "an extraordinary act of moral courage and pastoral care."

At a time when so many families are living in fear and uncertainty, the Bishop's voice offers not just protection but hope," he said in a statement. "We're deeply grateful for his leadership in reminding us that faith is not meant to hide behind walls, but to stand with the vulnerable."

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Trump has 'unleashed a war on our communities': Calif. congresswoman on ICE swarming L.A. park

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The Diocese of San Bernardino is the nation's fifth-largest Catholic diocese and second-largest in California next to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is the largest in the country with about 5 million members. Neither the Los Angeles Archdiocese nor the neighboring Diocese of Orange, which serves about 1.3 million Catholics, has issued similar dispensations.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Orange said they have in recent weeks taken steps to support the immigrant community, including asking priests to bring Communion and celebrate Mass in the homes of those who are fearful of leaving their homes. The diocese has also shared protocols with parishes and Catholic schools to help them prepare and respond properly to the presence of immigration officials on church or school grounds, he said. In addition, the diocese is also coordinating efforts to have priests and deacons accompany and spiritually support people at immigration court hearings.

Parishes under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are also continuing to "provide outreach to families and individuals that have been impacted," an archdiocese spokesperson said.

Bishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino in California has issued a decree dispensing those at risk of deportation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, after immigration officials entered two Catholic parishes and detained people in June.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

The Bishop of San Bernardino, California, Bishop Alberto Rojas, issued a decree on July 8, 2025, dispensing immigrant faithful from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until further notice, in light of the “genuine fear” of potential immigration enforcement actions.

“There is a real fear gripping many in our parish communities that if they venture out into any kind of public setting, they will be arrested by immigration officers. Sadly, that includes attending Mass,” Bishop Rojas said in a media statement accompanying the decree released on July 10. “I want our immigrant communities to know that their Church stands with them and walks with them through this trying time.”

On June 20, diocesan officials stated ICE agents entered two Catholic parish properties in Montclair and Highland, and detained multiple people in the parking lot of St. Adelaide Church in Highland, California.

The director of communications for the Diocese of San Bernardino, John Andrews, said at the time that one male parishioner was taken into custody, adding the others detained were neither parishioners nor worked for the parishes.

These events have “only intensified” the fear of many migrant faithful, the Bishop explained in his recent message. He had already written a letter on June 23 in which he asked “political leaders and decision-makers to “reconsider and cease” immediately these tactics, in favor of an approach that “respects human rights and human dignity."

People contributing to well-being of wider community

“The immigrant communities that I speak of are all those peoples who have been in this country for years with no other issues than their legal status, who have contributed to the well-being of the larger community,” Bishop Rojas continued in his July 10 message. “Most of them are here because they wanted to save their families; they had no other option. I believe that they would love to be legalized, but who can help them?”

Acknowledging that the fear of immigration enforcement actions “such as raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)” could be a “grave inconvenience” and may impede the “spiritual good of the faithful,” Bishop Rojas's decree encourages those who are unable to attend Mass to “maintain their spiritual communion with Christ and His Church” in other forms.

He suggested “personal prayer, reading of Sacred Scripture,” praying the Rosary, or watching Mass livestreamed on TV or online.

Pastors should provide 'compassionate support'

The Bishop of San Bernardino, the sixth-largest Catholic diocese in the United States, emphasized that his decree seeks to alleviate the “burden” people may feel due to not being able to fulfill the Catholic obligation of Sunday Mass, considering “all the worry and anxiety” these individuals are experiencing.

Bishop Rojas also underlined in the decree that pastors and other Church members “are to provide compassionate support to those affected” and ensure “that they feel welcomed and safe in communities.”

Parishes in the Diocese of San Bernardino, he said, are encouraged to explore alternative options to make catechesis and sacramental preparation available for those unable to attend regularly.

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A Catholic bishop who oversees a major diocese in Southern California has issued a rare decree, formally allowing parishioners to miss weekly Mass amid fears of immigration raids across the region.

San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas announced on July 8 that parishioners who have a "genuine fear" over raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were dispensed from their obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation, such as Christmas. Rojas noted that "such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful."

"In issuing this decree, I am guided by the Church's mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all entrusted to my care, particularly those who face fear or hardship," Rojas wrote.

Such diocesan-wide dispensations are usually issued in response to serious circumstances or during times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and social or political unrest. Observant Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation, and those who "deliberately fail in this obligation commit grave sin," according to the Roman Catholic Catechism.

The dispensation comes amid White House efforts to enforce mass deportations. Immigration agents are being pressed to detain 3,000 people a day. The Trump administration has said aggressive enforcement tactics are necessary to root out criminals in the country. But arrests at courthouses and outside churches have sparked fear among people who view the spaces as out of bounds.

Experts say the move violates quintessentially American principles.

"This is unconstitutional. Our forefathers came here for freedom of religion, to be free to worship," said Cecilia González-Andrieu, a professor of theology at Loyola Marymount University, adding that the idea of churches as inviolable spaces dates back to Ancient Rome.

"This is an abomination religiously and civically and it is a violation of human rights in every sense of the word. When the bishop takes that position it’s because we’ve gotten to the point where that's only way to protect people’s lives."

Immigration authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

ICE on at the Diocese of San Bernardino

Bishop Rojas' announcement comes after immigration agents detained migrants at two of the diocese's parish properties last month, according to Diocese of San Bernardino spokesperson John Andrews. The ICE detentions occurred on June 20 at the St. Adelaide Parish in Highland, California, where several men were detained, and at Our Lady of Lourdes in Montclair, California, where a "longtime parishioner" was detained, according to Andrews.

Following the detentions, Rojas said in a letter to his diocese that the immigration enforcement actions were "creating a tremendous amount of fear, confusion and anxiety for many." The bishop called on public officials to "please reconsider and cease these tactics immediately."

"We have seen a change and an increase in immigration enforcement in our region and specifically in our diocese," Rojas wrote in the letter. "Authorities are now seizing brothers and sisters indiscriminately, without respect for their right to due process and their dignity as children of God."

The Diocese of San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles, was established in 1978 and is the sixth-largest diocese in the United States, according to its website. The diocese says that it serves about 1 million Catholics in San Bernardino County, which is 56.4% Latino, and Riverside County, which is 52.5% Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Spokesperson Andrews said Spanish language services are offered at nearly all of the diocese’s 94 parishes. About 52% of parishioners attend Mass in Spanish, as opposed to 46% in English, Andrews said.

Special decree comes amid objections over Trump's immigration agenda

The Diocese of San Bernardino's decree comes amid growing opposition from Roman Catholic bishops across the United States over President Donald Trump's immigration agenda. Many bishops have echoed the sentiments of Pope Leo XIV and the late Pope Francis, who both criticized Trump's stances on immigration.

After taking office in January, Trump dropped a longstanding federal policy against immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, such as schools and places of worship. Multiple religious groups sued the Trump administration over the policy change in February.

But in April, a federal judge ruled against the religious groups, refusing to limit the administration's enforcement activity, according to Reuters.

Following the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said that it stood in "firm solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters." Multiple other Catholic leaders have also expressed solidarity with immigrants, the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

The Diocese of San Bernardino appears to be the first to issue a formal dispensation over immigration enforcement. In May, the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee advised caution for attending Mass, according to the Tennessean.

"We are very concerned that the immigration enforcement activities in the Nashville area are going well beyond efforts to target individuals accused of serious and dangerous crimes,” the Diocese of Nashville said in a statement to The Tennessean. "Concerns about the lack of due process under law for those picked up in the current environment are creating even greater fear within our communities, including the fear of being confronted or detained while attending Mass or other events at our parishes."

Faith communities pray for relief

Churchgoers fear immigration agents are now waiting outside places of worship only to arrest people when they try to go home, said Calvin Abbasi, communications director for PICO California, a nonprofit that works with 500 congregations serving half a million people in the state.

"A place of worship is supposed to be a sanctuary, a sacred refuge, where people go to make a private and public connection with their creator," Abbasi said. "And to use that space as a place for fear and separation is immoral."

Among reasons places of worship attract so many immigrants is the fact that they provide essential community spaces for people cut off from families and hometowns abroad, said Brett Hover, the author of a book titled Immigration and Faith.

The dispensation, Hoover said, is a way of calling out the Trump administration for its immigration policy but said it’s a very public way of shaming the White House.

"The other side of it is this is a symbolic gesture, it’s a way of saying that this is an outrageous thing that’s happening" Hoover said. "It’s a way of recognizing the fear the government’s raids are generating."

Abbasi said immigration authorities have also made arrests at other congregations in the PICO network.

Among them is Reverend Tanya Lopez who told ABC News in June that agents took a man into custody in the parking lot of Downey Memorial Christian Church, where she is a senior pastor.

"By the time I saw him, he was already on the ground with three armed, masked, unidentifiable men surrounding him," Lopez told ABC. "It's heartbreaking, but I let them know they were not welcome, and they did just responded, 'The whole country is our property.'"

Trump's immigration crackdown in California

In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified its deportation efforts in California with immigration raids at workplaces, traffic stops, and routine legal check-ins. A series of raids across Los Angeles County sparked intense protests in June.

After the protests — which mainly occurred in a small area of downtown Los Angeles — began on June 6, Trump took several swift actions, including calling in the 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines. The decision drew ire from California officials who accused the president of stoking tension and escalating unrest.

State and local officials have also repeatedly denounced the federal immigration raids. Earlier this week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned federal agents and National Guard troops for descending on a city park.

Armored vehicles, mounted officers, and armed troops briefly swarmed MacArthur Park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles before leaving. Bass said 20 children were playing at the park before the troops surged through and shared footage of federal officers running through the park.

"Franky, it is outrageous and un-American that we have federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in our parks," Bass said at a July 7 news conference. "It is outrageous and un-American that the federal government seized our state's National Guard. It's outrageous and un-American that we have U.S. Marines who are trained to kill foreign soldiers overseas, deployed in our American city."

Contributing: Christopher Cann and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY; Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean; Reuters