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.

Timeline:

• January 27, 2025 — We filed a lawsuit on behalf of Quaker meetings asking the court to stop this unlawful policy.
• February 4, 2025 — We filed a motion for a temporary restraining order.
• February 24, 2025 — 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.

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: 

July 28, 2025 — We filed a lawsuit on behalf of religious groups to stop DHS’s unlawful policy.