[Episcopal News Service] A federal judge has refused to grant a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration that was requested by The Episcopal Church and a coalition of interfaith plaintiffs in their lawsuit seeking to block immigration enforcement actions at houses of worship.
Judge Dabney Friedrich of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., issued her decision April 11, a week after hearing arguments by attorneys for the religious groups and the Trump administration. The Episcopal Church was joined by 26 other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including Protestant and Jewish groups, in warning that changes in immigration policy were sowing fear in the communities they serve.
The nonpartisan Georgetown University Law Center, in arguing the case on behalf of the religious groups, specifically objected to policy changes under President Donald Trump that ended past protections against immigration enforcement actions at houses of worship and other “sensitive locations,” such as schools and hospitals.
The hearing in The Episcopal Church’s lawsuit was held at the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., as seen in this file photo from 2023. Photo: Associated Press
Friedrich concluded that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated that the new administration was actively targeting immigrants for detention and possible deportation at houses of worship. She also expressed skepticism that any decreased participation in worship services or ministries was related directly to the end of U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement’s “sensitive locations” protections.
“Evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering ICE in their own neighborhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk,” she wrote in her decision.
The plaintiffs now are considering their next steps in the case.
“We are currently reviewing the decision and are assessing our options,” Kelsi Corkran, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said in a written statement. “We remain gravely concerned about the impacts of this policy and are committed to protecting foundational rights enshrined in the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”
During his campaign, Trump had vowed to oversee mass deportations of millions of people living in the United States without permanent legal residency status. He began pursuing policies to follow through on that promise in the hours after his Jan. 20 inauguration to a second term, with a series of executive orders related to immigration. The next day, Homeland Security ended Biden administration policies that had identified certain sensitive areas as protected from immigration enforcement actions.
The Episcopal Church is one of 12 denominations that have signed onto the lawsuit, which also includes the Disciples of Christ, Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian and AME Zion churches. Other plaintiffs include regional denominational bodies and other religious associations.
The plaintiffs’ 80-page complaint, filed Feb. 11, includes short summaries of ways they say the government’s policies have burdened the faith organizations’ practice of their religions.