Traveling Crosses in Chicago Commemorate Immigrants Who Died in U.S. Immigration Custody or Enforcement Operations (Chicago, Illinois)

Dominican Fr. Brendan Curran, of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, and Fr. Thomas Boharic, pastor of Mother of the Americas Parish, stand by the traveling installation of immigrant crosses outside the church in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Oct. 3, 2026. (NCR photo/Camillo Barone)

More than 100 white wooden crosses stand in solemn rows outside Chicago churches, bearing the names, ages and countries of origin of immigrants who died in U.S. immigration custody or during enforcement operations. Among them are names of people from Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Nigeria, Cuba and other countries. Some died in their 20s or 30s, while others were elderly.

The installation, called “The Immigrant Crosses,” is a traveling memorial created by Chicago Catholic priests, religious sisters and brothers, in collaboration with local labor unions. Launched Sept. 24 at Holy Name Cathedral, it has begun moving among parishes and Catholic institutions across the Chicago area, inviting communities to confront the human cost of immigration enforcement.

For Dominican Fr. Brendan Curran, of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, the initiative emerged from a pressing question. “After going through a historically bad year, how can we draw much more assertively and intentionally our Catholic community in ordinary parishes to really seriously reflect on the care for immigrants?” Curran asked. The idea took shape about three months ago, during conversations between Priests for Justice for Immigrants and Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants, two Chicago-area networks with more than two decades of advocacy.

Curran said he drew inspiration from the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which helped humanize those lost to the epidemic, and from the tradition of placing makeshift crosses along the U.S.-Mexico border to commemorate migrants who died attempting the journey. “It’s been a historic symbol of the migrant struggle and the migrant human toll that, in many ways, happens without us even knowing people’s names,” he told the National Catholic Reporter.

According to the organizers, the memorial commemorates more than 100 people whose deaths in immigration custody or during enforcement actions have been publicly documented since January 2020. Organizers use records compiled by the ICEFall Tracker, which collects data on Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“The cross for us is a sign of liberation that transforms even death into new life,” Curran explained. Transforming that vision into a traveling memorial required carpenters, painters and laborers willing to donate their skills. Don Villar, secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Labor Council, said the project reflects a commitment to justice and mercy. “We are not just remembering names; we are standing in solidarity with those who have suffered,” he said.

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