Churches are opening their doors to the immigrants as the year draws to a close. As the government expresses its intention to crack down on the illegal immigrants in a series of raids this upcoming year, the faithful promised to embrace the families who might find themselves in need of a place to stay.

According to a report from the Washington Times, faith-based multi-denomination group Sanctuary Movement is leading the charge to offer refuge to Central American families who entered the country through illegal means. Leaders of the community spoke up about their commitment to help the immigrants as dictated by their faith.

"As pastors, we know that each and every family is a holy family," Rev. Alison Harrington, pastor of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, said in a Reuters report via the Washington Times. "We open our doors to today's Josephs and Marys...The gift we have to offer on Christmas Day is the gift of sanctuary."

She added that the Sanctuary Movement consists of around 50 congregations scattered in a dozen different U.S. cities. Rev. Noel Anderson of the affiliated Church World Service revealed that the congregations supporting this particular network reaches about 300 in over 20 cities.

A report from Washington Post revealed the nationwide campaign by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that will be pushing the deportation of over 100,000 families who fled to the country to escape ongoing conflict in Central America. This operation will begin as early as January 2016 and is considered the first large-scale effort to address onslaught of illegal immigrants who is seeking refuge in the U.S.

Officials said that the crackdown will only target adults and children who have already faced an immigration judge and ordered removal, but this number is expected to be in the hundreds or even more.

The administration faced backlash for the upcoming operations, especially from advocates who expressed concern over the "government's treatment and legal processing of the families".

"This administration has never acknowledged the truth: that these families are refugees seeking asylum who should be given humanitarian protection rather than being detained or rounded up," Gregory Chen, director of advocacy for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, pointed out. "When other countries are welcoming far more refugees, the U.S. should be ashamed for using jails and even contemplating large-scale deportation tactics."

ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen addressed the issues in an official statement at the Washington Times saying, "As Secretary Johnson has consistently said, our border is not open to illegal immigration, and if individuals come here illegally, do not qualify for asylum or other relief, and have final orders of removal, they will be sent back consistent with our laws and our values."