St. Louis archdiocese sues over clergy limits at Missouri jail holding ICE detainees; DHS calls the claims false
The archdiocese says the jail's phone-only clergy visits amount to a ban on the sacraments. DHS says the jail is a county facility, not an ICE facility, and that detainees receive religious services on request.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
The Archdiocese of St. Louis sued Ste. Genevieve County jail officials and federal immigration officials on October 5, 2026, saying the jail's no-contact visiting rules keep priests from giving Communion, hearing confessions or saying Mass for ICE detainees. The Department of Homeland Security calls the allegations false and says county limits on physical contact do not mean religious services are denied.
Read the full background
The Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center in southeast Missouri began housing people held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in mid-2025 under an agreement with the agency. According to the complaint, clergy may visit only from noon to 4 p.m. on Mondays and may speak with detainees only by phone through a glass partition, while lawyers and consular officials can meet detainees face to face.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski and Father Chris Schroeder filed the suit in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri, with a motion for a preliminary injunction. The defendants are the county sheriff and two jail officials, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and two ICE officials. The complaint says the policy violates the First Amendment, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and federal and Missouri religious freedom laws. It says Rozanski asked the jail in May for face-to-face visits and permission to celebrate Mass and received no response.
On October 6, a DHS spokesman said the allegations were false and that the jail is a county facility, not an ICE facility. The county's chief deputy, Maj. Jason Schott, had earlier said priests could hand a wrapped host to jail staff to pass to a detainee, and that direct contact is barred to keep out contraband. Clergy groups in the Chicago and Minneapolis areas won court orders this year giving them access to ICE facilities. We did not find a court ruling on the injunction request as of October 17, 2026.
Timeline
2 timeline entries on this page. Dates: October 5, 2026 to October 6, 2026
October 2026
Archdiocese files suit over clergy access at the Ste. Genevieve jail
Incident
The archdiocese, Rozanski and Father Chris Schroeder sued county jail officials and federal immigration officials and asked for a preliminary injunction against the jail's no-contact clergy policy.
[01]Archdiocese of St. Louis
Report in the St. Louis Review, the archdiocese's newspaper, on the lawsuit filed October 5, 2026. It summarizes the complaint and quotes the archdiocese's statement and Archbishop Rozanski.
Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center · Archdiocese of St. LouisFull article[02]St. Louis Archdiocese lawsuit alleges violation of ICE detainees' religious rights
St. Louis Public Radio report on the lawsuit, with the archdiocese's statement and the Ste. Genevieve County chief deputy's earlier explanation of the jail's policy.
DHS calls the archdiocese's allegations false
Reaction
A DHS spokesman said the allegations were false, that the jail is a county facility rather than an ICE facility, and that detainees receive religious services on request.
[03]Feds reject St. Louis archbishop's claims inmates are being denied Mass. 'FALSE'
St. Louis Post-Dispatch report on the Department of Homeland Security's response to the archdiocese's lawsuit, quoting DHS spokesman Chandler Rebel.
[04]St. Louis Archdiocese sues over limited religious sacraments at detention center
Spectrum News report on the lawsuit and on a statement the Department of Homeland Security gave to the outlet.
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Archdiocese of St. Louis
The Ste. Genevieve County jail's visitation policy prevents Catholic priests from giving Communion, hearing confessions or celebrating Mass for ICE detainees held there.
What is disputed
The archdiocese makes this claim in its lawsuit. DHS calls the allegations false and says detainees are accommodated with religious services, including access to priests and the sacraments, on request. The county's chief deputy has said priests may pass a wrapped host to staff for delivery but may not have direct contact with detainees.
Sources (3)
- Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center · Archdiocese of St. LouisFull article
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
3 responses. Newest first.
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityFederal department, through spokesman Chandler RebelDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Spokesman Chandler Rebel said the allegations were false and that the facility is "a non-contact county jail, not an ICE facility."
"Let's be clear: County restrictions on physical contact do not mean religious services are denied"
DeniedResponding to: The Ste. Genevieve County jail's visitation policy prevents Catholic priests from giving Communion, hearing confessions or celebrating Mass for ICE detainees held there.
Full statement and sources
A DHS spokesman calls the archdiocese's allegations false, says the jail is a county facility rather than an ICE facility, and says detainees can practice their religion.
After the statement
Rebel said all detainees may practice their religions and receive religious items on request.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Ste. Genevieve County jail's no-contact clergy visiting policy for ICE detainees and federal officials' responsibility for it. DHS calls the allegations "FALSE" and says county restrictions on contact "do not mean religious services are denied", so we labeled it Denied. The closest competing label is Defended; it loses because DHS disputes that detainees are denied religious services rather than justifying a denial.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Archdiocese of St. LouisRoman Catholic archdiocese and plaintiff in the lawsuitDirectly involved Before this statement
The archdiocese issued the statement on October 5, 2026, the day it filed suit.
"Offering and receiving these sacraments is a central tenet of our faith. Catholics receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the deprivation of these sacraments imposes real and immediate harm on Catholic detainees and priests"
CondemnedResponding to: The Ste. Genevieve County jail's visitation policy prevents Catholic priests from giving Communion, hearing confessions or celebrating Mass for ICE detainees held there.
Full statement and sources
Announcing its lawsuit, the archdiocese says the jail's restrictions deprive Catholic detainees of the sacraments and cause them and their priests real and immediate harm.
After the statement
The archdiocese said it seeks the same access the jail gives lawyers and consular officials.
Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center · Archdiocese of St. LouisFull articleWhy this label?
The reference point is the Ste. Genevieve County jail's no-contact clergy visiting policy for ICE detainees and federal officials' responsibility for it. The archdiocese says the deprivation of the sacraments "imposes real and immediate harm on Catholic detainees and priests", so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization; it loses because the archdiocese objects to the policy itself rather than to how it is described.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Mitchell T. RozanskiArchbishop of St. Louis and plaintiff in the lawsuitDirectly involved Before this statement
Rozanski spoke to the St. Louis Review about the lawsuit, in which he is a plaintiff.
"That is why I'm very concerned about the restrictions that are placed on our priests in being able to minister to the detainees who are at Ste. Genevieve."
CondemnedResponding to: The Ste. Genevieve County jail's visitation policy prevents Catholic priests from giving Communion, hearing confessions or celebrating Mass for ICE detainees held there.
Full statement and sources
Rozanski says the restrictions on priests ministering to detainees at Ste. Genevieve concern him and calls the issue one of religious freedom.
After the statement
He said the issue concerns religious freedom, including the ability to minister in prisons, and that the archdiocese is "not giving up".
Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center · Archdiocese of St. LouisFull articleWhy this label?
The reference point is the Ste. Genevieve County jail's no-contact clergy visiting policy for ICE detainees and federal officials' responsibility for it. Rozanski, a plaintiff, says he is "very concerned about the restrictions that are placed on our priests", so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because he states no condition or support for the policy.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(4)
Reporting
Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Report in the St. Louis Review, the archdiocese's newspaper, on the lawsuit filed October 5, 2026. It summarizes the complaint and quotes the archdiocese's statement and Archbishop Rozanski.
- Author
- Laura Kosta
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
St. Louis Archdiocese lawsuit alleges violation of ICE detainees' religious rights
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
St. Louis Public Radio report on the lawsuit, with the archdiocese's statement and the Ste. Genevieve County chief deputy's earlier explanation of the jail's policy.
- Author
- Sonal Churiwal
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
St. Louis Archdiocese sues over limited religious sacraments at detention center
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Spectrum News report on the lawsuit and on a statement the Department of Homeland Security gave to the outlet.
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Feds reject St. Louis archbishop's claims inmates are being denied Mass. 'FALSE'
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
St. Louis Post-Dispatch report on the Department of Homeland Security's response to the archdiocese's lawsuit, quoting DHS spokesman Chandler Rebel.
- Author
- Katie Kull
- Published
- Accessed
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- Title
- St. Louis archdiocese sues over clergy limits at Missouri jail holding ICE detainees; DHS calls the claims false
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The Dispute Index. "St. Louis archdiocese sues over clergy limits at Missouri jail holding ICE detainees; DHS calls the claims false". First published: 2026-10-17. Last updated: 2026-10-17. https://disputeindex.com/cases/st-louis-archdiocese-ste-genevieve-jail-clergy-access