A federal judge in Maryland has temporarily prevented federal immigration agents from operating near places of worship across the U.S., responding to concerns from mainly Quaker religious organizations. They argued that the Trump administration’s policy change increased fear among congregants, influencing their willingness to attend services due to potential civil immigration arrests. While the judge denied a nationwide halt to the Trump policy, approximately 1,700 worship sites in 35 states will experience a temporary reprieve from enforcement actions. The ruling shows that the groups provided evidence of attendance declines, while the Department of Homeland Security failed to demonstrate significant impacts from enforcement pauses.
A coalition of mainly Quaker religious groups has successfully managed to temporarily stop federal immigration agents from operating in and around their places of worship nationwide.
In a ruling issued on Monday, a federal judge in Maryland agreed with these religious organizations that the shift from a Biden-era policy by the Trump administration was discouraging people from attending their services and outreach programs due to fears of civil immigration arrests. Historically, both Democratic and Republican administrations have maintained policies that generally discourage immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, which include places of worship, schools, and hospitals.
Judge Theodore D. Chuang, serving in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, denied the groups’ appeal for a nationwide temporary injunction against the Trump administration’s policy.
Consequently, approximately 1,700 places of worship across 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be temporarily protected from immigration enforcement actions, a shift from the previous Biden administration’s restrictions on operations in sensitive areas. The organizations are being legally represented by Democracy Forward, an organization dedicated to advocating for democracy.
The core issue is a change in immigration enforcement policy under the Trump administration that permits Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to operate in sensitive locations. This represents a notable widening of enforcement powers compared to what was allowed during the Biden administration. Although there hasn’t been a significant increase in the number of immigrant arrests during religious services since Trump took office, the groups contend that the mere possibility of such arrests has deterred individuals from attending services they would otherwise regularly go to.
The lawsuit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security by a consortium of mainly Quaker organizations. This coalition also includes a Baptist church in Atlanta and a Sikh temple in Sacramento, with officials from these organizations noting a drop in attendance attributed to the new policy.
“Plaintiffs have presented evidence that the willingness of their members to attend worship and engage in ministry activities is currently being adversely affected,” Judge Chuang stated in his ruling. “Conversely, D.H.S. has not provided any information showing how its objectives, whether in heightened immigration enforcement or otherwise, would be significantly and negatively impacted” by a temporary halt in enforcing the policy.
A similar lawsuit filed by a group of denominational organizations has been submitted in federal court in the District of Columbia.