Claremont Church's Controversial Nativity Scene Stirs Emotions

CLAREMONT, CA -- A local church has gained international attention for a Nativity scene that depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph in cages to highlight the issue of family separation, a practice being followed by immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"In a time in our country where refugee families seek asylum at our border and are unwillingly separated from one another, we consider the most well-known refugee family in the world, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family," Claremont United Methodist Church said on its website. "Imagine Joseph and Mary separated at the border and Jesus, no older than 2, taken from his mother and placed behind the fences of a Border Patrol detention center as more than 5,500 children have been the past three years."

The Nativity scene has attracted international attention, with reporting by media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, Reuters and The Washington Post. Reaction has been polarized, with some strongly supporting the theme and others criticizing it. A police car has been stationed at the church to monitor the heavy traffic of people coming to see the display, according to media reports.

Although the Nativity scene has been disconcerting to some, church officials say that there's another display on the church grounds that's more joyous.

"Inside the church, you will see this same reunited, the Holy Family together, in a Nativity that joins the angels in singing."