Skye Perryman in Washington Post: “Today’s News From the Office of Special Counsel Confirms What We Have Long Known: The Mass Termination of Federal Workers Is Unlawful and Trump’s Only Plan Here Seems To Be To Inflict Chaos and Suffering on the American People and the Federal Workers”

USA Today: “The Ruling Is Another Setback For One of President Donald Trump’s Top Priorities to Strengthen Immigration Enforcement and Conduct Mass Deportations”

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Democracy Forward secured two legal victories on behalf of our clients, pushing back against the Trump administration’s assaults on democracy, federal workers, and religious freedoms. In Democracy Forward’s case on behalf of a coalition of Quaker meetings, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento, the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued an order blocking the Trump administration’s policy that enables immigration officials to enter houses of worship indiscriminately to conduct immigration enforcement operations. 

Yesterday, in a separate action, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel recommended halting the termination of probationary employees who filed a complaint alleging that their terminations were unlawful, in news first reported by Government Executive on February 24. The request to halt the terminations and reinstate federal workers was made in a class complaint filed by Democracy Forward and Alden Law Group on behalf of civil servants across multiple federal agencies who were terminated by the Trump administration “with no regard for the performance or conduct” but instead because of their probationary status due to their short tenure with the federal government. 

See coverage below:

WASHINGTON POST: Federal judge pauses immigration raids in some houses of worship

A judge on Monday temporarily barred the federal government from conducting immigration enforcement in certain places of worship after faith groups argued that the threat of raids infringed on their religious liberty.

Six Quaker congregations, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple sued in the U.S. District Court of Maryland last month, challenging the Trump administration’s order overturning a long-standing policy that restricted immigration authorities from making arrests at churches and other “sensitive locations.” The houses of worship argue that the policy change discourages worshipers from attending services because they fear being arrested.

The legal organization Democracy Forward, which represents the houses of worship, celebrated the temporary injunction.

“For decades, the government has recognized that everyone — no matter their immigration status — should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid,” Skye Perryman, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Religious institutions should not have to go to court to fight for the right to worship and associate freely that is enshrined in our constitution.”

CBS NEWS: Judge blocks Trump administration from making immigration arrests at some places of worship

A federal judge in Maryland blocked the Trump administration on Monday from carrying out immigration enforcement actions at certain places of worship for Quakers, Cooperative Baptists and Sikhs, who filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unwinding of a Biden-era memo that barred immigration arrests at certain protected locations.

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the religious groups, said they are grateful to the court for limiting the policy.

“For decades, the government has recognized that everyone — no matter their immigration status — should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid. Religious institutions should not have to go to court to fight for the right to worship and associate freely that is enshrined in our Constitution,” she said in a statement in response to the court’s decision.

USA TODAY: Judge blocks ICE enforcement actions at churches, other houses of worship

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland ordered the Department of Homeland Security and its subdivision, ICE, not to conduct immigration enforcement actions “in or near any place of worship” associated with the case brought by Quakers, Baptists and Sikhs.

The ruling is another setback for one of President Donald Trump’s top priorities to strengthen immigration enforcement and conduct mass deportations of migrants who are in the country without legal authorization.

But groups of the Religious Society of Friends better known as Quakers, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship representing 750,000 people and the Sikh Temple Sacramento representing 30,000 people fought the memo for allegedly discouraging attendance at religious events.

“For decades, the government has recognized that everyone – no matter their immigration status – should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid,” Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, an advocacy group that represented the religious groups, said in a statement. “Our plaintiffs represent a unique and diverse coalition of religious groups that have been at the forefront in protecting values of religious liberty for centuries. We are grateful to the court for acting to limit this unlawful and harmful policy.”

NEW YORK TIMES: Government Watchdog Moves to Protect Probationary Federal Workers

A government watchdog lawyer whose dismissal by President Trump has been stalled by the courts announced on Monday that his office would seek to pause the mass firings of some probationary federal workers.

Lawyers from Democracy Forward, the legal advocacy group that filed the complaint on behalf of the fired workers, celebrated Mr. Dellinger’s decision.

The Trump administration’s firing of the probationary federal workers was “illegal and cruel,” said Skye Perryman, the organization’s president and chief executive.

“It’s beyond troubling to think that we now have to protect the very people who serve this nation from attacks by the president,” she said.

WASHINGTON POST: Firings of some federal workers should be halted, watchdog recommends

Probationary workers were let go in a wave of firings over Valentine’s Day weekend that caused an outcry from union heads and others, some of whom filed OSC complaints or lawsuits.

The legal organization Democracy Forward, which along with the Alden Law Group filed the Feb. 14 complaint urging the OSC to investigate the firings, said the agency’s request for a stay was a positive development for federal employees.

“Today’s news from the Office of Special Counsel confirms what we have long known: The mass termination of federal workers is unlawful, and Trump’s only plan here seems to be to inflict chaos and suffering on the American people and the federal workers who serve them,” said Skye Perryman, the organization’s president.

THE HILL: Special counsel determines some probationary layoffs violate law, asks for intervention

Dellinger’s review of the matter was first prompted a request from Democracy Forward, which asked the OSC to review “all similarly situated probationary employees.” Their complaint has since been expanded to include employees at other federal agencies.

“Today’s news from the Office of Special Counsel confirms what we have long known: the mass termination of federal workers is unlawful, and Trump’s only plan here seems to be to inflict chaos and suffering on the American people and the federal workers who serve them as opposed to using our government to better the lives of working Americans, families, and communities across the country,” Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said in a statement.

“It is among the many harmful and unlawful actions being taken by this Administration without regard for impact or purpose,” Perryman said.

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