US judge halts Trump administration immigration raids at certain religious sites

A federal judge ordered a stop to the Trump administration enforcing immigration policies at places of worship belonging to Quakers, Cooperative Baptists and Sikhs. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by these religious groups challenging Trump’s decision to reverse a Biden-era policy that had limited immigration arrests in certain sacred spaces.

Democracy Forward said in a press statement yesterday that the ruling came after it filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship which has 1,400 churches serving 750,000 Baptists, Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento (serving 30,000 Sikhs), and six Quaker Meetings.

US District Judge Theodore Chuang granted a limited temporary order requested by the religious groups challenging Trump’s policy, which allowed immigration enforcement at places of worship, as reported by CBS News.

The ruling protects only the worship sites used by these groups nationwide and not those used by others.

Judge Chuang, an Obama appointee, found that the Trump administration’s policy had discouraged attendance at worship services, affecting not just undocumented immigrants but also those with legal status who feared being wrongly targeted.

The court determined that this policy likely violates the religious groups’ rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

In his 59-page opinion, the judge explained that immigration enforcement under the 2025 policy would “significantly and adversely” impact religious gatherings by reducing attendance. He added that having “armed law enforcement officers” at places of worship would hinder Quakers and Sikhs from “following their religious beliefs or worshipping freely.”

The judge said the policy exerts “substantial pressure” on these groups, forcing them to alter their practices by preventing worship with a “larger and more diverse group of congregants” and restricting key aspects of their faith.

Consequently, the judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the 2021 memo from former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which prohibited enforcement at certain “special protection” locations, including schools, medical facilities, and places of worship.

However, Chuang’s ruling still allows arrests at or near places of worship if a warrant is issued.

“For decades, the government has recognised that everyone – no matter their immigration status – should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid. Religious institutions should not have to go to court to fight for the right to worship and associate freely that is enshrined in our Constitution,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, in response to the ruling.

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