Federal judge refuses to block immigration enforcement operations in houses of worship
A federal judge on Friday refused to block immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations at houses of worship in a lawsuit filed by religious groups over a new policy adopted by the Trump administration.
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U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington handed down the ruling in a lawsuit filed by more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans.
The judge found that there have been only a handful of such enforcement actions and the faiths had not shown the kind of legal harm that would justify a preliminary injunction.
鈥淎t least at this juncture and on this record, the plaintiffs have not made the requisite showing of a 鈥榗redible threat鈥� of enforcement,鈥� wrote Friedrich, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term. 鈥淣or does the present record show that places of worship are being singled out as special targets.鈥�
On Jan. 20, his first day back in office, Trump鈥檚 Republican administration rescinded a Department of Homeland Security policy limiting where migrant arrests could happen. Its new policy said field agents using 鈥渃ommon sense鈥� and 鈥渄iscretion鈥� can conduct immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship without a supervisor鈥檚 approval.
Plaintiffs鈥� attorneys claimed the new Homeland Security directive departs from the government鈥檚 30-year-old policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in 鈥減rotected areas鈥� or 鈥渟ensitive locations.鈥�
In February, a federal judge in Maryland ruled against the Trump administration in a similar case brought by a coalition of Quakers and other religious groups. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang鈥檚 order in that case was limited to those plaintiffs.
A judge in Colorado sided with the administration in another lawsuit over the reversal of a similar policy that had limited immigration arrests at schools.