A coalition of Quaker groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday seeking to block immigration authorities from raiding houses of worship in search of criminal migrants.
The lawsuit, filed in the US district court of Maryland, argues that the Trump administration’s reversal of federal policy barring immigration raids in churches violates the religious group’s First Amendment rights.
“A diversity of worshippers is an essential component of the Quaker value of ‘experience[ing] God in a broader, more encompassing way,’ as ‘one’s life experience affects how one hears the spirit and what conclusions one might draw,’” reads the lawsuit brought by five Quaker groups and the left-wing Democracy Forward Foundation.
“Deterring immigrants from worshipping in-person with a Quaker meeting would therefore directly interfere with Plaintiffs’ religious exercise by lessening their ‘ability to hear God and what God is trying to tell [them],’” the filing continues.
Former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive last week rescinding the Biden administration’s guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that prevent law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas, such as churches, schools, hospitals and public demonstrations.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murders and rapists — who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesperson said last week.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the spokesperson added. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”