For over 30 years, the federal government restricted immigration enforcement at houses of worship and other sensitive locations, acknowledging that to carry out raids, arrests, and surveillance at those locations could deny people of faith access to their places of worship and violate religious freedom rights.
Soon after taking office, the Trump-Vance administration abruptly reversed course and abandoned these longstanding protections, giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents discretionary power to use their “common sense” and decide whether to carry out enforcement actions at or near houses of worship. This gives ICE agents free rein to conduct enforcement actions in and around houses of worship and other “sensitive locations.”
Democracy Forward is representing more than two dozen religious groups and houses of worship in two lawsuits that detail how ICE agents have arrested people in church parking lots and during preschool pickup, and even attempted arrests while pastors were preaching. These actions have caused church attendance to decrease, forced congregations to lock their doors, and silenced the ministries that make worship communities safe for all people, regardless of their immigration status.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. Department of Homeland Security:
Plaintiffs include 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, Richmond Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, The New York Yearly Meeting, the Sikh Temple Sacramento, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
On January 6, 2026, four amici curiae filed briefs in the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in support of plaintiffs:
- The Harvard Law Religious Liberty clinic, writing on behalf of the Rutherford Institute, a civil-liberties organization. The brief focuses on 1. the history of churches being treated as sanctuaries, and 2. how giving government officials discretion to enforce creates greater First Amendment problems when it comes to religion.
- Quaker Scholars. This brief gets deeper into Quaker beliefs, how the policy burdens those beliefs, and the history of Quaker persecution.
- Muslim Advocates and National Immigration Law Center writing on behalf of 19 faith-based, immigration, and civil-rights orgs. This brief explains the persecution by the government of minority faith groups–especially of Muslim communities–and why removing the sensitive-locations policy puts them in particular danger.
- Fair and Just Prosecution. This organization, made up of progressive prosecutors around the country, explains that the senseless raids that the new DHS policy allows sows fear in local communities, making people (especially victims of crime) less likely to interact with law enforcement and the legal process. That makes the job of prosecutors tougher and makes communities less safe.
New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al., v. Department of Homeland Security, et al.
Plaintiffs include New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Southwest California Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Southwestern Texas Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Sierra Pacific Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; San Francisco Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; American Baptist Churches USA; Alliance of Baptists; and Metropolitan Community Churches.
Democracy Forward, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Gilbert LLP represent plaintiffs in this case.
Timeline
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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS: We filed a lawsuit on behalf of Quaker meetings asking the court to stop this unlawful policy.
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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS: We filed a motion for a temporary restraining order.
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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS: The U.S. District Court of Maryland issued an order blocking the policy and forbade immigration officials from entering houses of worship to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS: The Federation for American Immigration Reform filed an amicus brief in support of the federal government.
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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS: The Harvard Law Religious Liberty Clinic, Quaker Scholars, Muslim Advocates and National Immigration Law Center, and Fair and Just Prosecution filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs.
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New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al., v. DHS: We filed a lawsuit on behalf of religious groups to stop DHS’s unlawful policy.
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New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al., v. DHS: We filed a notice with the court, given the facts and reports of immigration raids at houses of worship over the holidays.
