Local faith groups are suing the federal government over access to ICE detainees in Minnesota.
Several religious organizations are alleging that authorities at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis unlawfully prevented faith leaders from providing pastoral care to detainees.
The firm Groundwork Legal will represent clergy.
"On one occasion they were provided no justification for being turned away," says the firm's CEO Irina Vaynerman. "Other times there were vague safety and security concerns raised, but that's insufficient under the federal law."
She says right now her team is seeking a preliminary injunction to secure immediate access for clergy while the court awaits the government's response.
The legal challenge argues that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by denying clergy access to individuals held during "Operation Metro Surge."
"It is well established in many other governmental institutions how pastoral care visits work," Vaynerman says. "Folks provide their credential background and then are able to enter and provide care. But to categorically deny the ability to provide that pastoral care, that fails to pass any standard under federal law."
She says the court's ruling on the issue could change how religious freedom is handled at detention centers across the country.
A federal court will now need to weigh the request for immediate relief to determine if spiritual visits must be permitted at the facility.
In a visit to the the Whipple Building Friday, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig and Ilhan Omar found the building spotless, and empty, after being a staging spot for ICE enforcement in the Twin Cities along with a detention center for detainees before they were flown to other facilities.