Indiana Church Puts Holy Family In 'ICE Detention Center' To Send Message

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INDIANAPOLIS (CBS) - It's an image that's gone viral - the holy family locked up in an ICE detention center outside of a church in Indiana.

The sight is similar to that of immigrant families being detained as they try to enter the U.S. illegally.

The Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis is sending a message.

Its pastor wants to make things clear, since the bible has been used in the immigration debate. He wants everyone to know the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph fleeing to safety.

"Then they had to flee to Egypt because Herod was killing all the children, and they sought asylum and safety in Egypt," said Christ Church Cathedral Lead Pastor Stephen Carlsen.

It's unclear how long the display of the holy family will stay up, but church officials recommended keeping it up as long as families are detained.

The pastor says he never expected to get this large of a response.

He says the goal is to keep the conversation about our nation's immigration crisis going, beyond politics.