Full Breakdown
Appeals Court Allows Faith Groups to Pursue Challenge to ICE Policy at Houses of Worship
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that a coalition of 27 Christian and Jewish organizations has standing to challenge the Trump administration’s rescission of immigration-enforcement restrictions at “sensitive” locations. The majority opinion, written by Judge Florence Y. Pan, sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich for reconsideration of the groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.
Background & Context
Since 1993, federal guidance discouraged immigration arrests near schools, houses of worship, funerals and other religious ceremonies. The guidance was revised in 2021 by then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, requiring headquarters approval before enforcement at such sites. On January 20, 2025, the first day of Donald Trump’s second term, acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman rescinded the guidance, eliminating categorical restrictions on ICE activity at churches, synagogues and schools.
Timeline
- January 20, 2025 – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinds the Obama-era “sensitive locations” guidance.
- April 2025 – The 27 faith-based organizations file a joint complaint alleging violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.
- May 28, 2026 – An undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent records a martial-arts training session inside a church, later cited in a separate investigation.
- August 18, 2026 – The Fourth Circuit upholds a preliminary injunction protecting eight houses of worship affiliated with Quaker, Sikh and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship groups.
- Tuesday, 2024 (date not specified in ledger) – The D.C. Circuit issues its 2-1 decision on standing, reversing the district court’s denial of a preliminary injunction.
Data & Statistics
- At least 65 religious leaders have been detained by immigration authorities since the policy change in January 2025, according to a Newsweek investigation.
- The coalition includes major denominations such as Mennonite Church USA, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, The Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, and Jewish bodies like the Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism.
Official Statements & Responses
- **Judge Florence Y.
- Judge Neomi Rao (dissent) argued that the plaintiffs offer only speculation that restoring the prior guidance would alter current enforcement practices, noting that “redressability requires more than conjecture.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “The government has done the opposite of ‘disavowing any intention of’ taking enforcement action at or near plaintiffs’ members’ houses of worship. Instead, it announced a plan to ramp up enforcement, and that initiative has already begun: Plaintiffs point to several specific examples of the government engaging in enforcement activity at or near their members’ houses of worship.” — Judge Rao, circuit judge
- “Instead, it announced a plan to ramp up enforcement, and that initiative has already begun: Plaintiffs point to several specific examples of the government engaging in enforcement activity at or near their members’ houses of worship.” — Judge Neomi Rao, circuit judge
What’s Next
The district court will now reassess the religious groups’ request for a preliminary injunction, determining whether the policy’s alleged harms merit immediate judicial relief while the broader case proceeds.