{"id":30913,"date":"2026-02-23T10:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=30913"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:59:16","slug":"catholic-university-moves-classes-online-after-ice-presence-raises-campus-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/02\/catholic-university-moves-classes-online-after-ice-presence-raises-campus-concerns","title":{"rendered":"Catholic University Moves Classes Online After ICE Presence Raises Campus Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Lewis University | Right: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement \/ Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Illinois Catholic university has shifted some in-person classes to remote or alternative locations after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is operating administrative offices in the same building as one of its instructional sites. Lewis University announced the temporary change at its Oak Brook location, citing concern for student well-being and its faith-based commitment to dignity and inclusion.<\/p>\n

According to a university email sent Thursday, all Session I classes and activities originally scheduled at the Oak Brook campus from January 20 through March 14 will be moved online or relocated. The transition began with in-person classes from February 16\u201321, shifting to virtual delivery where possible. Programs are adapting in different ways: the College of Business has moved fully online, while the radiography program is using a hybrid format that includes alternative in-person sites.<\/p>\n

University leaders framed the decision explicitly through the lens of Catholic and Lasallian values. “The temporary change is aligned with Lewis University’s Catholic and Lasallian mission,” the email stated. “It calls us to foster a respectful, supportive, and inclusive environment where every individual is valued and treated with dignity.” Officials indicated that updates on longer-term plans for the Oak Brook site would be shared later.<\/p>\n

The development comes amid heightened national tensions surrounding immigration enforcement. Protests have intensified in recent weeks following several high-profile incidents involving ICE agents and civilians, fueling anxiety in communities where immigration status is a sensitive issue. In that environment, the presence of federal immigration offices in a shared academic building has raised unease among some students and staff, even though the agency’s operations there are administrative rather than enforcement-based.<\/p>\n

Lewis University did not provide additional comment when contacted, and ICE has not publicly responded regarding the Oak Brook office. Still, the university’s response underscores the delicate balance many faith-based institutions face as they navigate public policy realities while maintaining pastoral care for diverse campus communities.<\/p>\n

For Catholic educators, the situation touches longstanding social teaching on the dignity of every human person and the call to welcome the stranger. At the same time, the university’s actions reflect a practical concern: minimizing disruption and fear so that students can continue their studies without distress. By relocating classes rather than canceling them, administrators signaled a desire to preserve both educational continuity and community trust.<\/p>\n

As debates over immigration and enforcement continue nationwide, the episode at Lewis University illustrates how broader political tensions can quickly reach into classrooms. For this Catholic campus, the immediate priority has been to ensure that students feel safe and respected\u2014values that the university says flow directly from its Christian mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Illinois Catholic university has shifted some in-person classes to remote or alternative locations after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is operating administrative offices in the same building as one of its instructional sites. Lewis University announced the temporary change at its Oak Brook location, citing concern for student well-being and its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":30916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCatholic University Moves Classes Online After ICE Presence Raises Campus Concerns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Catholic Lewis University moves Oak Brook classes online after ICE office presence raises concern.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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