A coalition of Quaker groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday seeking to block immigration authorities from raiding houses of worship in search of criminal migrants.
The lawsuit, filed in the US district court of Maryland, argues that the Trump administration’s reversal of federal policy barring immigration raids in churches violates the religious group’s First Amendment rights.
“A diversity of worshippers is an essential component of the Quaker value of ‘experience[ing] God in a broader, more encompassing way,’ as ‘one’s life experience affects how one hears the spirit and what conclusions one might draw,’” reads the lawsuit brought by five Quaker groups and the left-wing Democracy Forward Foundation.
“Deterring immigrants from worshipping in-person with a Quaker meeting would therefore directly interfere with Plaintiffs’ religious exercise by lessening their ‘ability to hear God and what God is trying to tell [them],’” the filing continues.
Former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive last week rescinding the Biden administration’s guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that prevent law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas, such as churches, schools, hospitals and public demonstrations.
“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murders and rapists — who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesperson said last week.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the spokesperson added. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
The Quakers’ lawsuit, which names recently sworn-in DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as a defendant, appears to be the first one filed by a religious group challenging the order.
President Trump has ramped up efforts to remove criminal migrants in the country illegally since taking office.
Cracking down on illegal immigration by embarking on the largest deportation operation in American history was a key part of the president’s message to voters ahead of his landslide 2024 election victory.
DHS did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The plaintiffs in the case – Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Adelphi Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and Richmond Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends – are being represented in the case by the Democracy Forward Foundation.
“A week ago today, President Trump swore an oath to defend the Constitution and yet today religious institutions that have existed since the 1600s in our country are having to go to court to challenge what is a violation of every individual’s Constitutional right to worship and associate freely,” President and CEO of Democracy Forward Skye Perryman said in a statement.. “Our team is honored to represent Quaker meetings that have been at the forefront in protecting values of religious liberty for centuries and will urge the court to act swiftly to halt this unlawful and harmful policy.”
