A Trump administration policy that gives immigration officers free rein to carry out enforcement actions at or near the houses of worship was blocked again today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today.
The Aug. 18 ruling affirms an earlier ruling by the U.S. District Court of Maryland.
Today’s decision leaves in place the district court’s injunction protecting plaintiffs after the administration abandoned decades-long protections that restricted immigration enforcement at houses of worship and other sensitive locations. The administration’s policy gives immigration officers — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers — broad discretion to conduct enforcement actions at or near places of worship guided only by their “common sense.”
This ruling comes amid new revelations that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has been conducting ongoing surveillance of churches.
The lawsuit was filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Sikh Temple Sacramento and a coalition of Quaker groups.
The district court previously concluded the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claims challenging the administration’s policy and entered a preliminary injunction imposing guardrails on immigration-enforcement actions at or near the plaintiffs’ houses of worship to protect their rights while the case proceeds.
“This decision reaffirms a fundamental promise of religious liberty: Every person should be able to gather, worship, pray and serve their community without fear that immigration enforcement will unlawfully disrupt sacred spaces,” the plaintiffs said in a joint statement. “For generations, our houses of worship have welcomed all who seek spiritual guidance and community service. The Trump-Vance administration’s policy threatened that longstanding tradition by forcing congregations to choose between fulfilling their religious mission and protecting members of their communities. We are grateful that the court has preserved these protections while this case moves forward, and we will continue fighting to ensure that religious freedom remains meaningful for every congregation and every person who walks through our doors.”
The case is Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends v. DHS.
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