The Trump administration is widening its actions against immigrants by disqualifying all non-U.S. citizens and nationals, including Green Card holders, from borrowing from a key Small Business Administration loan program. Beginning March 1, eligibility for 7(a) loans will be limited…
In Oklahoma and Tennessee, religious charter schools face barriers
A bid to launch Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School as a taxpayer-funded religious charter school in Oklahoma was rejected by the state Feb. 9. In turning down the application, some members of the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board said they…
Lawsuit claims SBC and others could have stopped Arkansas abuse
Southern Baptist leaders and organizations should have known former youth minister Keenan Hord posed a danger to minors at First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Ark., according to a lawsuit filed by the parent of a sexual abuse victim. The action…
Religious groups sue to block Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission
A diverse coalition of faith groups sued the Trump administration Feb. 9 to challenge the legality and religiously narrow makeup of its Religious Liberty Commission. President Donald Trump established the commission in 2025 by executive order “to defend the religious…
Florida and Texas AGs say they won’t enforce antidiscrimination laws
The chief legal officers of Florida and Texas said they will not enforce state anti-discrimination laws they consider unconstitutional. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a 14-page opinion on Martin Luther King Jr. Day targeting more than 80 anti-discrimination measures…
‘Yes in God’s backyard’ addresses housing crisis
Faith-based organizations are chipping away at the nation’s affordable housing crisis by focusing on projects that directly address challenges in their own communities, according to a nonprofit community development organization. More and more, churches are taking a “yes in God’s…
Kamehameha Schools gets court permission for free tuition
Kamehameha Schools in Hawaii has received a state court’s approval to offer free tuition in part to protect it from lawsuits like one currently pending against its admissions policies. The K-12 private school with campuses on three islands was founded…
Minnesota educators file suit against Trump administration
The Trump administration faces yet another lawsuit in connection with its policy allowing immigration enforcement operations at sensitive locations such as churches, hospitals and schools. A coalition of Minnesota educators and school districts filed federal litigation Feb. 4 to prevent…
Group documents 20 times ICE and CBP shot civilians in past year
The cruelty of U.S. immigration enforcement operations can be counted in rising body counts, attacks against children and families and in the dehumanizing rhetoric federal officials are using toward immigrants and American citizens, according a report by an immigrant rights…
Judge rules against ICE blocking Congressional visits
Members of Congress may make unannounced inspection visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, a federal judge ruled Feb. 2. The order by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., temporarily prevents the Department of Homeland Security from…
‘These are not law enforcement tactics’
The Trump administration is endangering the very American communities it claims to be protecting through drastic immigration enforcement efforts, a Southern law enforcement official said. “Our role is to keep our communities safe, and what we’re witnessing all across this…
Anti-ICE church sign gets a chilly reception
A Baptist church near Rochester, N.Y., was prepared to stand its ground when a municipal official demanded it change the wording on the sign in front of the building: “DO JUSTICE, LOVE KINDNESS, ABOLISH ICE.” A code enforcement officer called…