US judge allows migration enforcement in places of worship

More than two dozen Jewish and Christian groups had filed a lawsuit against the policy. On April 11, US District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington refused to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs.

She found that only a handful of immigration enforcement actions have been conducted in or around churches or other houses of worship. And she did not believe that there was evidence that houses of worship were being singled out as targets.

Drops in attendance in some places of worship since President Donald Trump took office in January could not be definitively linked to the policy, the judge stated.

“That evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] in their own neighbourhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk,” wrote Friedrich.

The groups argued the policy violated people’s right to practise their religion.

In January, the Trump administration rescinded a US Department of Homeland Security policy limiting where migrant arrests could happen. Its new policy said field agents using “common sense” and “discretion” can conduct immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship without a supervisor’s approval.

The plaintiffs had argued that the new Homeland Security directive departs from the US government’s 30-year-old policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in “protected areas” or “sensitive locations”.

Similar cases in Maryland and Colorado saw rulings in favour of each side in particular instances.

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Judge sides with Trump administration over immigration enforcement in churches (National Catholic Reporter)