Faith groups sue DHS over Trump policy allowing ICE raids in places of worship

More than two dozen religious groups, including the North Carolina Council of Churches, have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security challenging the Trump administration’s reversal of a policy that barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting raids at houses of worship.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., seeks injunctions to prevent DHS from conducting enforcement actions in places of worship without exigent circumstances or a judicial warrant. The faith groups argue that the new policy has led to declines in worship attendance and social service participation due to fears of ICE raids. They claim the administration’s move threatens the sanctity of worship and the ability of faith communities to serve immigrants and refugees.

The shift also violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, according to the lawsuit. “Whatever interest DHS has in enforcing immigration law, it cannot meet its burden here of demonstrating that its interference with plaintiffs’ religious practices is the least restrictive means of serving that interest,” said Kelsi Corkran, lead counsel for plaintiffs during a Zoom meeting with reporters.

Rev. Jennifer Copeland, executive director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, stated, “One of the most frequent directives found in the Bible is caring for those who come to us from another place. Not to be allowed to do so is to be denied a basic tenet of our faith.”

The plaintiffs include 12 national denominational bodies, 4 regional denominational bodies, and 11 denominational and interdenominational associations rooted in Jewish and Christian faiths. In a separate but similar case, the U.S. District Court of Maryland will hear arguments Wednesday morning in a suit seeking a temporary restraining order to block the policy, arguing it violates the First Amendment and unlawfully burdens religious freedom.

Filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of a multi-faith coalition—including the 1,400-church Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Sikh Temple Sacramento and six Quaker groups—the lawsuit claims the policy reversal forces congregations to choose between welcoming undocumented immigrants as their faith requires or exposing them to enforcement.

Sikh Temple Sacramento board member Amar Shergill said the policy undermines communal worship: “Allowing immigration enforcement activities at Gurdwaras is already preventing some from attending, which harms the entire Sangat.” The coalition warns the policy deters attendance, fractures communities, and threatens the ability of faith groups to fulfill their mission.

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