Posted on 04/12/2025 1:59:09 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
A federal judge on Friday sided with the Trump administration in allowing immigration agents to conduct enforcement operations at houses of worship despite a lawsuit filed by religious groups over the new policy.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington refused to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans.
She found that only a handful of immigration enforcement actions have been conducted in or around churches or other houses of worship and that the evidence doesn't show "that places of worship are being singled out as special targets."
The groups argued the policy violated the right to practice their religion. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, attendance has declined significantly, with some areas showing double-digit percentage drops, they said.
The judge, though, found that the groups had not shown their drops were definitively linked to the church policy specifically, as opposed to broader increased actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other agencies.
"That 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," wrote Friedrich, who was appointed by the Republican president during his first term.
That means that simply reversing the policy on houses of worship wouldn't necessarily mean immigrants would return to church, she found.
On Jan. 20, his first day back in office, Trump's administration rescinded a Department of Homeland Security policy limiting where migrant arrests could happen.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.
Plaintiffs' attorneys claimed the new Homeland Security directive departs from the government's 30-year-old policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in "protected areas" or "sensitive locations."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Can they go into witches’ covens and satanic houses where the Democrats and illegals are hiding? /S
Or just legitimate places of worship.
"Religion is the last refuge of a scoundrel" — Samuel Johnson
They watched too many vampire movies.
Sanctuary was only for innocent peole
Just a thought
A guy goes into a mosque and shoots up the place killing several people
Are they saying no LEO should go in and stop him and arrest him ???
Just asking
“Since President Donald Trump took office in January, attendance has declined significantly, with some areas showing double-digit percentage drops, they said.”
My experience is the opposite. St Joseph, Marietta GA Spanish Mass es have greatly increased in attendance.
They are a mix of illegals, anchor babies, legals and natural citizens. Often families are mixed in immigration status. The husband has a different status from the wife.
This is huge.
A lot of these churches were being used for laundering people in and out of different places.
It is an understatement that illegal aliens were a large scale profitable business.
Agreed—big win.
Next—going after the non-profit status of churches enabling and supporting illegal immigration and illegal aliens.
Grabbing someone out of a church does not infringe on the right to worship except for that person, and at that moment. And that would be true regardless of whether they were being seized.
Biden’s terrorist groups he let in hit hardest.
Just asking.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.