DEDHAM, Mass. (WPRI) — A Nativity display at a church in Massachusetts is sparking a debate.
The display outside Saint Susanna Parish in Dedham now features a sign that reads “ICE was here” instead of the figures of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.
Below it, another message claims “the holy family is safe in our church” and instructs people to call a number if they see immigration agents.
The priest behind the setup said it’s meant to draw attention to people in need, while critics call it inappropriate.
The Rev. Stephen Josoma created the scene, telling local outlet WCVB that it’s to get people thinking about how immigrants are treated, especially during the holiday season.
In previous years, he’s used the church’s Nativity to comment on climate change, gun control and even placed baby Jesus in a cage in 2018.
A close-up of a nativity scene depicting baby Jesus in a jail cell and the three wiseman behind a border fence stands outside at Saint Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts on December 9, 2018. – The unconventional nativity scene is meant to call attention to the immigration issue. (Photo by Joseph PREZIOSO / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) 
A traditional Nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in front of St. Susanna’s Catholic Parish, in Dedham, Mass., but also includes signs listing U.S. mass shootings and the number of people killed at each. The Catholic church is using its Nativity scene to call attention to gun violence. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League said the display distracts from the religious message of Christmas and hopes the Archdiocese will step in. A spokesperson for the Boston Archdiocese declined to comment when contacted by the Boston Globe on Wednesday.
Multiple parishioners told the outlet they supported the message, including 67-year-old Margo Yie.
“Jesus was a refugee,” Yie said. “He had to flee his native country. His parents took him because they were worried he would be killed.”
Doyle told the Globe that a parishioner complained to him about the Nativity scene.
Josoma said he hopes the message will encourage people to be more compassionate, even as the debate continues over whether political statements belong in a Nativity scene.