U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons is calling for the removal of a nativity scene at a Catholic church in Dedham, Mass., that protests U.S. immigration policies.

The sign reads, “ICE was here,” and is in the spot where Jesus, Mary and Joseph usually are in the middle of the manger scene, implying the family was taken by immigration agents, according to WBUR. Below the message is a smaller sign that reads “The Holy Family is safe in our Church ... If you see ICE please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.”

The Rev. Stephen Josoma, St. Susanna’s Parish’s pastor, told WBUR the display’s purpose was to focus the Christmas story on the plight of immigrants. It comes after he recently spoke with refugee families with which the church has worked.

“These are folks who carry a lot of scars with them. Some of them are physical scars, but most are emotional,” he told the outlet. “They’ve seen their folks killed in front of them.”

Lyons told Fox News Digital in a statement: “The actions of the activist reverend, Stephen Josoma, are absolutely abhorrent and add to a dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers.”

The Archdiocese of Boston also pushed back against the display. Terry Donilon, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, said in a statement to MassLive Saturday that the display should be removed, calling it “divisive political messaging.”

The Archdiocese also noted that St. Susanna neither requested nor received permission for the display.

The church’s “norms prohibit the use of sacred objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God’s people,” Donilon told MassLive. “This includes images of the Christ Child in the manger, which are to be used solely to foster faith and devotion.”

The Archdiocese spokesperson also noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has long-standing statements on immigration calling for the humane treatment of migrants, especially those in detention.

“We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures,” the USCCB said. “Human dignity and national security are not in conflict.”

Josoma did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday from MassLive.

Lyons told Fox News that Josoma “has become infamous for using his pulpit to advance his activist agenda and has now caught the attention of the Archdiocese of Boston, which has publicly condemned his most recent political stunt. On behalf of ICE and our many law enforcement professionals in Massachusetts — many of whom are practicing Catholics and first-generation Americans — I applaud the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese for taking a stand against such a dangerous and extremist narrative.”

The nativity scene also drew sharp attention from the Department of Homeland Security.

“Not only is this ‘nativity’ scene offensive to Christians, but it is also depicting something that — despite what Rev. Josoma says — NEVER happens. ICE does not separate families,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday to MassLive. “Get a grip and seek help.”

According to a Nov. 24 ProPublica report, some 600 immigrant children have been placed in government shelters since the beginning of the year, the highest number since such placements were first tracked a decade ago.

This includes a 13-year-old Everett boy, a Brazilian immigrant, who was taken into ICE custody and sent to a facility in Virginia, because the agency said he had a knife and a gun at school.

During an October press conference after the boy was sent to Virginia, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria confirmed the boy had a knife but said he did not have a gun.

Everett Police were going to release the boy to his mother, who had arrived at the station. However, ICE, tipped off by the fingerprint database, took the boy into custody and whisked him off to the ICE facility in Burlington.

The boy will return to Brazil with an aunt and uncle while his parents continue pursuing asylum in the United States, attorney Andrew Lattarulo told MassLive on Oct. 30.

Liesel Nygard is a summer content intern at MassLive in Springfield and Worcester.