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Did you know that the Trump Administration changed policy on ICE entering churches?

Since taking office for the second time, President Trump has made a wide swath of changes regarding immigration, and one of those is that ICE agents are now allowed to enter spaces that were previously prohibited from raids, namely churches and schools. The decision sparked immediate backlash from not only immigrant rights' advocates, but also churches and religious groups, who want to maintain the sanctity of their sanctuaries and not have attendees worried about being picked up during worship services.

In response to the policy shift, a collection of religious groups sued the Trump administration, and now a federal judge has ruled (temporarily) in their favor. The group of religious entities that sued is a contingent of Quaker houses of worship, a Georgia-based network of Baptist churches and a Sikh temple in California. 

The Plaintiffs' attorneys argue that the new DHS directive departs from the government's 30-year-old policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in “protected areas” or “sensitive locations.” They argue that the new policy shift violates their religious freedom, and a federal court seems to agree. 

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang found that the Trump administration policy could violate their religious freedom and should be blocked while a lawsuit challenging it plays out. This means that a temporary order called a preliminary injunction will prevent ICE from doing raids on the houses of worship that the Plaintiffs represent. The order does not apply to all houses of worship, only the Plaintiffs. But it is a good sign that there is legal disagreement on whether the Trump Administration has the ability to enter churches and other religious buildings, especially as there is a separate pending lawsuit involving 27 different religious groups who are also suing the Trump Administration over the new ICE raid policy. 

If you are part of a church or on staff with one, a great resource has been put together to know “how to respond to ICE in places of worship.” The resource hub prepares church leaders on what they can do to prepare and protect their congregants. 

We know this matter will continue to be in the courts and we will update you on any significant changes. 

If you need assistance filing for an immigration petition, you can reach us at (757) 422-8472, or send us a message on our website. You can also schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys by clicking on this link.