Friend-of-the-Court Briefs Warn that Trump-Vance Administration Policy Threatens Religious Freedom, Community Safety, and the First Amendment

Baltimore, Md. – A diverse group of faith leaders, civil liberties organizations, immigration advocates, and prosecutors filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in support of religious groups challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s abandonment of longstanding protections that restricted immigration enforcement at houses of worship and other sensitive locations.

The briefs were submitted in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, a case brought by Quaker meetings, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Sikh Temple Sacramento. The plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward, are challenging a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy that gives Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents broad discretion to carry out enforcement actions at or near houses of worship, replacing more than 30 years of protections that recognized such actions could violate religious freedom.

Four briefs were filed supporting the plaintiffs:

  • Muslim Advocates and the National Immigration Law Center, writing on behalf of 19 faith-based, immigration, and civil-rights organizations, warn that removing sensitive-locations protections places minority faith communities—especially Muslim communities—at heightened risk of surveillance, intimidation, and government persecution.
  • The Harvard Law Religious Freedom Clinic, writing on behalf of The Rutherford Institute, explains the long history of churches and other houses of worship being treated as sanctuaries and argues that granting unchecked discretion to government officials heightens the risk of First Amendment violations, particularly when religious exercise is involved.
  • Quaker Scholars detail core Quaker beliefs, the historical persecution of Quakers, and how the DHS policy substantially burdens religious practice by deterring worship and ministry.
  • Fair and Just Prosecution, a network of progressive prosecutors from across the country, joined by the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, explains that immigration enforcement at houses of worship instills fear in local communities, discourages crime reporting and cooperation with law enforcement, and ultimately makes communities less safe.

“For decades, the federal government recognized a simple truth: targeting people at houses of worship violates religious freedom and harms communities,” said Bradley Girard, Senior Counsel at Democracy Forward. “These briefs make clear that the Trump-Vance administration’s policy is not only unlawful—it is dangerous. It chills religious exercise and undermines public safety by driving people into the shadows. We are grateful to these institutions for urging the court to uphold the Constitution and reject a policy that threatens both religious freedom and community safety.”

For more than 30 years, federal policy restricted immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, including houses of worship, to ensure people could practice their faith without fear of government intrusion. Soon after taking office, the Trump-Vance administration abruptly abandoned those protections, empowering ICE agents to conduct raids, arrests, or surveillance at or near religious spaces.

Democracy Forward represents more than two dozen religious groups and houses of worship in two lawsuits challenging the policy. The suits document ICE enforcement actions in church parking lots, during preschool pickup, and even attempts to arrest individuals while pastors were preaching—actions that have reduced attendance at religious services, forced congregations to lock their doors, and disrupted ministries.

In February 2025, a federal district court blocked the policy in this matter, and barred immigration officials from conducting immigration-enforcement operations at or near  plaintiffs’ houses of worship. The case is now before the Fourth Circuit following the federal government’s appeal.

The case is Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, and the legal team at Democracy Forward includes Bradley Girard, Ayesha Khan, Sarah Goetz, Sterling Moore, and Andrew Bookbinder.

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