People are living 'on edge' in OKC over immigration threats, priests say

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Increased ICE raids have caused fear and anxiety among undocumented parishioners, leading some to avoid Mass and consider self-deportation.

Several Oklahoma City priests report parishioners being detained and deported, some with long-term residency and U.S.-born children.

While acknowledging the right to secure borders, priests express concern over the impact of deportations on families and the targeting of those seeking legal status.

In early summer, as immigration raids were ramping up across the country , Bishop Albert Rojas, of the Diocese of San Bernardino, granted a dispensation excusing undocumented parishioners in the diocese from attending Mass. Many feared they might be detained by immigration agents if they were in a public gathering like church.

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