On Monday, a coalition of Quaker religious groups filed a lawsuit in Maryland federal court to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) abrupt policy change that allows federal immigration officials to enter places of worship to carry out immigration enforcement actions.
The policy is already sowing fear among pro-immigrant congregations and has led to the cancellation of religious services out of fear, the lawsuit claims, while alleging that Trump's policy violates the First Amendment and other protections.
The plaintiffs, represented in the legal challenge by Democracy Forward, include the Philadelphia Congregation of the Religious Society of Friends, the New England Congregation of the Religious Society of Friends, the Baltimore Congregation of the Religious Society of Friends, the Adelphi Congregation of Friends of the Religious Society of Friends, and the Richmond Congregation of Friends of the Religious Society of Friends.
Democracy Forward notes that for decades the United States has protected sensitive sites, including houses of worship, from immigration enforcement activities out of concern that such activities prevent people from receiving essential services and participating in essential activities, such as worship.
Despite these long-standing protections, he says, the Trump administration’s DHS has changed course and immigration enforcement operations can now take place in protected areas such as churches and religious ceremonies like weddings and funerals, limited only by DHS’s instruction to use “common sense.”
The suit alleges that the presence of armed government agents in or near houses of worship disrupts the plaintiffs' ability to freely associate and worship. The suit also alleges that the abrupt change in policy violates federal law's prohibition against federal government agencies acting in an arbitrary and capricious manner.
“One week ago today, President Trump swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and yet today, religious institutions that have existed in our country since the 17th century are having to go to court to challenge what amounts to a violation of the constitutional right of every person to practice their religion and associate freely,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward.
“Our team is honored to represent Quaker meetings that have been at the forefront of protecting the values of religious freedom for centuries and will urge the court to act swiftly to stop this unlawful and harmful policy,” he added.
The plaintiff congregations said they have protected space for Quakers and other religious minorities to practice their religion. “Our faith requires us to do justice, oppose war and violence, love our neighbors (without exceptions) and make decisions with everyone present.”
In that regard, they said that the DHS policy prevents all of those things and invades sacred space and their ability to worship freely. “We are committed to continuing what we began more than 300 years ago: ensuring that people can practice their religion.”
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