Prayer vigil set as churches go to court against Trump administration immigration policy

[Episcopal News Service] An interfaith prayer vigil in Washington, D.C., is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 3, the eve of the first hearing in The Episcopal Church’s joint lawsuit with partner denominations seeking to protect houses of worship from immigration enforcement actions.

The vigil will be held at National City Christian Church and will be available by livestream. Participants will “gather in solidarity, lifting prayers for justice, compassion, and the protection of immigrant communities.” Organizers encourage participants to RSVP.

The interfaith prayer vigil will be held at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., and will be available by livestream at 6:30 p.m. Eastern April 3.

“Please join me in praying for the United States in this tenuous moment,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service, “for its leaders, and especially for the most vulnerable members of our communities, many of whom are migrants and refugees. We know that we cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear, and I pray that this lawsuit enables us to gather and fully practice our faith in loving our neighbors as ourselves.”

The Episcopal Church is one of more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations that sued the Trump administration on Feb. 11 for allowing immigration officers to target churches and other “sensitive” places for arrests as part of the president’s promised crackdown on legal and illegal immigration.

The plaintiffs are represented by the nonpartisan Georgetown University Law Center. A preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern April 4 at the U.S. District Court in Washington.

The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating First Amendment protections of both freedom of religion and freedom of association, because of the burden created by the “looming threat of immigration enforcement action at their places of worship and during their religious ceremonies.” The lawsuit notes that many congregations serving immigrant communities have already seen decreases in worship attendance and participation in social service ministries.

At issue are changes to Department of Homeland Security policies since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. The next day, the department ended Biden administration policies that had identified certain sensitive areas, including schools, hospitals and houses of worship, as protected from immigration enforcement actions.

The Episcopal Church said in a news release that Episcopal congregations in the United States are among the houses of worship where even some immigrants with legal residency have chosen to stay home rather than attend worship services because of the risk of arrest.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the federal government that would block immigration enforcement at houses of worship or during worship services unless authorities first obtain judicial warrants.

The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations also is advocating for legislation backing immigration policies aligned with church positions that have been adopted by General Convention. Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness, singled out the proposed Sensitive Locations Protection Act, which would clarify the authority of and limits on immigration officers at places of worship.

“It is essential for our religious communities to be able to worship without threat of immigration enforcement, and enshrining this protection in statute will help all people to be able to worship, seek medical care and send children to school without fear of deportation,” Blachly said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service.

The Office of Government Relations encourages Episcopalians to sign up for action alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy Network to help them engage with these and other issues of importance to the church.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.