Several religious organizations, including Christian and Jewish denominations and conferences, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s decision to allow immigration enforcement agents to enter houses of worship.
In a joint complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the more than two dozen religious bodies argued that allowing raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at churches violated their religious freedom rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“An immigration enforcement action during worship services, ministry work, or other congregational activities would be devastating to their religious practice,” reads the suit.
“It would shatter the consecrated space of sanctuary, thwart communal worship, and undermine the social service outreach that is central to religious expression and spiritual practice for Plaintiffs’ congregations and members.”
Christian entities among the plaintiffs include the Mennonite Church, USA, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Episcopal Church, the Disciples of Christ, Church of the Brethren, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and regional bodies of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.
Other plaintiffs include the Latino Christian National Network, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the North Carolina Council of Churches, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
