Caged nativity scene protests immigration policy

The nativity display from Claremont United Methodist Church, a suburban congregation east of Los Angeles, is raising both praise and ire for its depiction of the biblical story of Jesus’s family fleeing to Egypt in the context of controversial U.S. immigration policies. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are depicted as border detainees, each figure isolated in its own chain-link cage with a barbed-wire top.

Rev. Karen Clark Ristine said in Washington Post story that the picture she posted to her personal Facebook page and generated 15,000 shares and 4,000 comments in one day.

The display is similar to one erected in Dedham, Massachusetts and another in Oklahoma. It echoes a caged display of the iconic Make Way for Ducklings statues in Boston Commons earlier in the year.

MHC