A coalition of Christian groups and other organizations has filed a fresh lawsuit contesting the Trump administration's policy that permits federal agents to conduct immigration enforcement actions on church properties.
The legal action was initiated Monday in a federal court located in Massachusetts, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem listed as the defendants.
The lawsuit contends that allowing federal agents to use church sites during immigration enforcement efforts to deport undocumented immigrants “have seen both attendance and financial giving plummet,” due to the policy.
“Congregations have gone underground to protect their parishioners, eschewing in-person meetings central to their faith. Baptisms that previously would have been occasions for communal worship and celebration are now being held in private,” the complaint states.
Further, the suit claims, “Churches have quietly stopped advertising immigrant-focused ministries and have canceled programming that served immigrant populations who are now too fearful to attend.”
The plaintiffs include several regional chapters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the American Baptist Churches USA, the Alliance of Baptists, multiple regional entities of the Religious Society of Friends, and the Metropolitan Community Churches.
Representing these Christian organizations are the progressive legal groups Democracy Forward, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Gilbert LLP.
Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, expressed support for the legal challenge, saying, “Her organization is honored to be alongside these religious leaders in court. We will not give up until this unlawful and dangerous policy is struck down.”
She added, “Raids in churches and sacred spaces violate decades of norms in both Democratic and Republican administrations, core constitutional protections, and basic human decency. Faith communities should not have to choose between their spiritual commitments and the safety of their congregants.”
Earlier this year, DHS announced the reversal of a policy that was introduced in 2011 during the Obama administration, which restricted immigration law enforcement activities from “sensitive” locations such as churches and schools.
This policy change drew criticism from some religious leaders and prompted multiple lawsuits claiming that the move violated the First Amendment rights of churches. In April, a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon by a group of churches and two other nonprofits, challenging the legality of the policy.
Later in the same month, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich of the District of Columbia, a Trump appointee, rejected a similar lawsuit brought by a coalition of Christian and Jewish groups.
