On Christmas Day, Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA), known for his progressive stance, drew parallels between the biblical figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and undocumented migrants. He shared a provocative image featuring a nativity scene being raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on social media platform X.

“May this be the last Christmas we live this nightmare,” Swalwell commented alongside the image, which showed ICE agents spray-painting a depiction of the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus is traditionally believed to have been born.

The biblical account doesn’t label Mary and Joseph as illegal immigrants. Instead, it describes their journey to Bethlehem as a response to a census ordered by Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. This decree required individuals to register in their ancestral towns, which explains Mary and Joseph’s presence in Bethlehem.

The notion that Jesus was a refugee is debated among Christians, with many viewing it as historically inaccurate. According to Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., of Breitbart News, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home. Following his birth, the family fled to Judea to escape King Herod’s edict to kill all baby boys. They briefly lived in Egypt, then part of the Roman Empire, before returning to Galilee, where Jesus spent his formative years.

Similarly, a church in Illinois faced criticism for its controversial nativity display, which featured a baby Jesus bound with zip ties, Roman soldiers as ICE agents, and Mary and Joseph wearing gas masks. This artistic expression stirred debate over its portrayal of current immigration issues through a historical lens.

The prevalent left-wing claim that Jesus was a refugee is considered by many Christians to be historically inaccurate. As Breitbart News’s Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D., described, Jesus was born in Joseph’s ancestral hometown of Bethlehem, after which his parents fled with him to Judea when King Herod set out to kill all baby boys. The family temporarily settled in Egypt, which was part of the Roman empire at the time. They returned to their home in Galilee when Herod died, and Jesus spent most of his growing up years there.

A progressive Illinois church recently came under fire for a similar display after it put up a nativity scene with a zip-tied baby Jesus, Roman soldiers depicted as ICE agents, and Mary and Joseph wearing gas masks.

Lake Street Church of Evanston said in a post to Facebook last month that the display “reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices.”