Important News on this Friday!

Ruling Affirms Religious Freedom and Stops DHS From Targeting Communities

Boston, Mass. — The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an order today in New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, et al., blocking the Trump-Vance administration’s policy that seeks to give  the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its bureaus, like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), free rein to conduct raids and enforcement actions at and around houses of worship. Plaintiffs in this case are represented by Democracy Forward, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Gilbert LLP. This is the second court order blocking ICE from raiding houses of worship secured by Democracy Forward. 

For more than three decades, the federal government respected the special and sacred role of houses of worship by restricting immigration enforcement at such “sensitive locations,” acknowledging that to carry out raids, arrests, and surveillance at those locations could deny people of faith access to their places of worship and violate religious freedom rights. Today’s ruling restores essential safeguards and protects the right to religious exercise at houses of worship and other sites of religious education and ministry.

Plaintiffs include New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Southwest California Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Southwestern Texas Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Sierra Pacific Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; San Francisco Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends; American Baptist Churches USA; Alliance of Baptists; and Metropolitan Community Churches, who issued the following joint statement: 

“As people of faith, our sacred spaces must remain places of safety, refuge, and worship. For decades, our congregations have opened their doors to all, regardless of immigration status, and carried out ministries grounded in dignity, compassion, and community. Today’s ruling affirms a simple but profound principle: religious freedom belongs to everyone. We are grateful the court recognized that truth and protected the rights of our communities.”

“This is the second federal court to confirm what we have long known: the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to turn sacred houses of worship into houses of fear for immigrant communities is unlawful,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward.“Religious liberty and the ability of all people to worship freely is a core democratic value. For more than 30 years, the federal government has respected the special role of houses of worship. This court order reaffirms that sacred spaces are not staging grounds for fear and intimidation. The Trump-Vance administration’s policy of fear and terror is not about immigration enforcement, it is about eroding the core rights of people and the foundational values of our democracy. We are grateful to our brave clients and are pleased that the court’s order will enable them to conduct worship services free from fear and intimidation.” 

“Freedom of religion is the first freedom in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” said Joanne Lin, Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. “The court’s order makes clear that routine immigration enforcement ‘cannot justify the harm to religious freedom posed by the new [DHS] policy.’ We are proud to stand with our clients dedicated to gathering in community to worship in freedom.”

“Unfortunately, actions by DHS have made our clients (and others at sensitive locations throughout the country) fearful of worshipping in community. We are thrilled that the Court has issued a preliminary injunction with respect to the plaintiffs in this litigation, acknowledging the harms caused by the policy. This represents a first step towards justice, and will help ensure that our clients can worship freely without this fear. We look forward to seeing this case through to a final resolution,” said Sonia Murphy, Litigation Partner at Gilbert LLP.

The legal team at Democracy Forward in this case includes Kevin Friedl, Sarah Goetz, Andrew Bookbinder, Sterling Moore, Mark Samburg, Audrey Wiggins, and Ayesha Khan. 

Read the complaint here and the injunction here.