A federal judge has upheld a Trump administration policy that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out enforcement operations at churches and other places of worship despite lawsuits against it from faith-based groups.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, appointed by Trump during his first term, denied a request from more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations to block the policy. The groups said it infringes on religious freedoms and is causing drops in attendance, especially among immigrants worried about being detained by ICE.
The court found little evidence that ICE is targeting churches or that the change in policy is solely to blame for fewer people attending services. Friedrich noted that only a few enforcement actions have actually taken place at or near religious sites.
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"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," Friedrich wrote in her opinion.
The policy at the center of the lawsuit took effect Jan. 20, Trump's first day back in office.
On that day, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded an Obama-era guideline that had discouraged ICE agents from making arrests in "sensitive locations," including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Under the new rule, ICE officers no longer need special approval to act at these locations as long as they apply "common sense" and "discretion."
Religious leaders said that change went against more than three decades of precedent, which aimed to protect immigrants and other vulnerable populations from being targeted at sacred or essential community spaces.
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The judge, however, said bringing back the old policy might not change attendance numbers, since broader immigration enforcement actions could still keep people away.
Other legal challenges to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations are also making their way through the courts.
A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked operations at religious sites for some groups, including Quakers. But a judge in Colorado ruled in the administration's favor in a similar case involving enforcement at schools.
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Friedrich's decision means the current policy will remain in place as the lawsuit proceeds.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
