With a court order issued Monday in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has been blocked from entering houses of worship to conduct enforcement operations.
“The ruling came in response to a suit filed by Democracy Forward,” said the national legal organization. That suit was filed on behalf of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (1,400 churches serving 750,000 individuals), Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento (30,000 Sikhs) and six Quaker Meetings, including the oldest in the world.
Tom Homan, who President Donald Trump selected to be his “border czar” head what he called “harsh words” for the leader of another religion earlier this month.
“I’ve got harsh words for the Pope,” Homan shared with Newsmax in front of the White House. “Pope ought to fix the Catholic Church,” he said of Pope Francis, who called on the U.S. to treat migrants with dignity.
According to Democracy Forward, the Trump administration abruptly shifted its ICE policy in order to let authorities enter houses of worship for immigration enforcements. Audacy has reported on the new administration’s swift efforts to crack down on illegal immigration through ICE, including almost 1,000 arrests in Chicago, Ill., on a single Sunday.
“For decades, the government has recognized that everyone – no matter their immigration status – should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “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.”
Per the court memorandum from United States District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, the U.S. has “imposed various limitations and safeguards on the execution of immigration enforcement action in or near places of worship,” in light of First Amendment protections. However, it noted that those limitations and safeguards were “abruptly” removed when Trump began his second term in office on Jan. 20.
Chuang said that the “2025 Policy’s lack of any meaningful limitations or safeguards on such activity likely does not satisfy… constitutional and statutory requirements,” and concluded that granted a preliminary injunction to bar application of the new policy in favor of policy from 2021.
“This decision affirms our effort to restore the sensitive location protections that have allowed our congregations to worship and minister freely,” said Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley, Executive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. “While our work continues, we celebrate this victory as a testament to the bold faith that rises from freedom rather than coercion.”