| For decades, U.S. policy has safeguarded sensitive locations like churches and religious gatherings from immigration enforcement. However, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reversed this long-standing protection. The new policy allows enforcement actions at religious sites, with the only guidance being to use “common sense.” As a result, fear is spreading among congregations, leading to disruptions in worship.
Represented by Democracy Forward, the plaintiffs include:
The lawsuit challenges DHS’s unlawful and harmful policy, arguing that it restricts the ability of faith communities to worship freely and violates federal law’s prohibition against arbitrary and capricious government actions. This challenge seeks to block DHS’s policy and protect religious spaces from immigration enforcement activities. Allowing ICE to conduct enforcement actions in houses of worship threatens religious liberty for all, not just immigrant communities. We urge the court to act swiftly to prevent further harm to faith-based organizations and their congregations. On February 4th, the New York Yearly Meeting, the Sikh Temple Sacramento, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joined the lawsuit to stop this harmful policy. In our latest filing, we represent these faith communities, asking the court for a “temporary restraining order,” a request to immediately and temporarily block the policy, stopping Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE while it considers the case. On February 24th, the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued an order blocking the policy and forbade immigration officials to enter houses of worship indiscriminately to conduct immigration enforcement operations. |