Judge blocks Trump’s immigration policy that allows ICE to make raids in churches

• Judge Blocks Immigration Policy
• ICE Arrests in Churches
• Immigrants in Fear

Federal Judge Theodore Chang issued an order on Monday, blocking an immigration policy enacted by the Donald Trump administration.

This policy allowed ICE agents to conduct raids in places of worship used by Quakers and other religious groups.

The preliminary ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by multiple congregations.

Including Baptist churches in Georgia and a Sikh temple in California, arguing that such raids would violate their religious freedom.

Immigration Raids in Churches

The Trump administration modified DHS policy to permit ICE agents to conduct operations in places of worship using «common sense» and «discretion.»

This eliminated the previous requirement of obtaining prior approval from a supervisor, marking a significant shift from a long-standing policy that had prohibited raids in ‘protected areas’ or ‘sensitive locations’ for decades.

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The Democracy Forward Foundation, representing the plaintiffs, asked the judge to block the policy nationwide.

They argued that the new DHS directive gave ICE broad authority to enter places of worship.

Regardless of their religious beliefs.

Bradley Girard, attorney for the Quaker congregations involved in the lawsuit, emphasized that many immigrants felt threatened and had stopped attending religious services for fear of being arrested.

«It is a fear that people across the country are experiencing,» Girard stated during a court hearing a few weeks ago.

«People are not showing up, and as a result, the plaintiffs are suffering,» he added.

Meanwhile, government attorneys defended the new policy, arguing that there was no evidence that the religious organizations involved in the lawsuit had been directly affected by the immigration raids.

«The plaintiffs have not provided evidence showing that any of their religious organizations have been impacted,» said Kristina Wolfe, an attorney for the Department of Justice, during the hearing.

This case is part of a series of lawsuits across the United States, in which Christian and Jewish groups have raised similar concerns about ICE’s ability to carry out raids in places of worship.

«The new DHS policy gives ICE the authority to enter any place of worship in the country, regardless of its religious beliefs,» wrote the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

According to The Associated Press, the restraining order issued by Judge Chang applies only to the plaintiffs in this specific case while the legal process continues.

This legal development underscores the importance of constitutional principles regarding religious freedom and the rights of immigrants, as controversial immigration policies remain under scrutiny.

The ongoing lawsuit will determine whether ICE raids in places of worship can be legally justified or if they must be permanently restricted.

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