El Centro, California is home to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service Processing Center. (Images from Getty Images)
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security was sued by more than two dozen religious organizations, including the North Carolina Council of Churches, contesting the Trump administration’s decision to reverse a rule that prohibited Immigration and Customs Enforcement from raiding places of worship.
Injunctions to stop DHS from carrying out enforcement activities in houses of worship without a court order or an emergency circumstance are sought in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Fearing ICE raids, the religion groups claim the new strategy has caused a drop in social service involvement and church attendance. The plaintiffs contend that the administration’s action jeopardizes the sanctity of worship and faith communities’ capacity to assist immigrants and refugees by permitting ICE raids at places of worship.
The lawsuit also claims that the change threatens faith communities’ capacity to aid immigrants and refugees, which is a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment.
During a Zoom meeting with reporters on Wednesday, plaintiffs’ lead attorney Kelsi Corkran stated, “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.”
“One of the most frequent directives found in the Bible is caring for those who come to us from another place,” the Rev. Jennifer Copeland, executive director of the North Carolina Council of Churches stated. “Not to be allowed to do so is to be denied a basic tenet of our faith.”
Eleven denominational and interdenominational groups with roots in the Christian and Jewish religions, four regional denominational bodies, and twelve national denominational entities are among the plaintiffs.
In a different but related case, the U.S. District Court of Maryland will hear arguments on Wednesday morning in a lawsuit alleging the policy is an illegal burden on religious freedom and a violation of the First Amendment. The action seeks a temporary restraining order to block the policy.
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The lawsuit, which was filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of a coalition of multiple faiths, including six Quaker organizations, the 1,400-church Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Sikh Temple Sacramento, alleges that the policy reversal forces congregations to decide whether to welcome undocumented immigrants as required by their faith or risk enforcement action.
“Allowing immigration enforcement activities at Gurdwaras is already preventing some from attending, which harms the entire Sangat,” noted Amar Shergill, a board member of the Sikh Temple Sacramento, who claimed the measure undermines community prayer. The coalition cautions that the approach violates long-standing religious freedoms, disbands ministries, and discourages attendance.
In order to stop the “severe harm” that the policy is causing to worshippers, the group stated that it is seeking quick relief.