Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento, Six Quaker Meetings Seek Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction

Lawsuit Seeks to Enjoin DHS Policy to Protect Ability to Worship

GREENBELT, MARYLAND — A coalition of Quaker meetings, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento filed suit to block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from its abrupt shift in policy that enables federal immigration enforcement officials warrantless entry into houses of worship for their immigration enforcement actions. 

Democracy Forward filed suit on behalf the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento, and six Quaker Meetings — the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Adelphi Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and Richmond Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. 

The suit alleges that the Trump policy violates the First Amendment and other protections including the prohibition against agencies of the federal government acting arbitrarily and capriciously. 

The complaint is available here. On February 4, 2025, plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward, filed for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction. On February 13, 2025, a federal court held a hearing on the motions, and plaintiffs are now awaiting a ruling.

See coverage below:

WASHINGTON POST: Allowing ICE raids at churches is an affront to religious freedom

Faith groups are suing the Trump administration to stop ICE raids at houses of worship.

That’s because President Donald Trump recently gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement the go-ahead to conduct raids at houses of worship. That directive is now the target of two major lawsuits […] Plaintiffs in the suits include dozens of faith groups, from Pentecostals to Sikhs to Quakers to Jews, who believe the Trump administration is trampling their religious freedom.

[…] by far the most serious encroachment on religious liberty is Trump’s decision to overturn a long-standing directive against conducting immigration raids at “protected” or “sensitive” locations, such as schools, hospitals, day cares and churches.

NBC NEWS: Quaker Groups File Suit Over End of Policy Restricting ICE Arrests in Houses of Worship

A group of Quaker congregations is suing the Department of Homeland Security for changing a policy that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from carrying out operations in so-called “sensitive locations” such as houses of worship, playgrounds, schools and hospitals without approval from supervisors.

“A week ago today, President Trump swore an oath to defend the Constitution and yet today religious institutions that have existed since the 1600s in our country are having to go to court to challenge what is a violation of every individual’s constitutional right to worship and associate freely,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is providing the lawyers representing the Quaker groups.

REUTERS: Quakers sue to keep US immigration agents out of houses of worship

Quaker groups sued on Monday to prevent U.S. immigration agents from carrying arrests and searches in houses of worship, after the Trump Administration rescinded guidance that protected churches and schools from his mass deportation campaign.

“The very threat of government officials wearing ICE-emblazoned jackets outside of our religious service will have a significant impact on our communities and ability to practice our faith,” said a statement from Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, one of the five Quaker groups behind the lawsuit.

There have been more than a dozen lawsuits filed that challenge Trump policies, but the Quaker lawsuit appears to be the first by a faith-based organization.

BLOOMBERG LAW: Quakers Sue to Block Trump’s Immigration Raids in Churches

The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to conduct immigration raids in houses of worship violates the First Amendment, a group of Quaker congregations said in a new federal lawsuit challenging the practice.

DHS’s policy violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by burdening the rights of congregants to exercise their religion without a compelling reason, according to the complaint filed Monday by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and four other Quaker groups.

For over 30 years the government had an official policy of not conducting immigration raids in “protected areas,” which included houses of worship, the groups say in their complaint in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.

BAPTIST NEWS GLOBAL: CBF joins Quakers in lawsuit against ICE raids in churches

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has joined a coalition of Quakers as a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed last week demanding the Trump administration not allow ICE agents to conduct raids in houses of worship.

The new policy of the Trump administration reversed previous federal policy that marked houses of worship and schools as off-limits for immigration raids and arrests. The actions are part of the new administration’s swift actions to create mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

While cheered by the MAGA faithful, the policy allowing raids in churches has been roundly criticized by religious leaders, including some evangelicals who are Trump’s political base.

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