Quakers challenge Trump order allowing immigration raids at religious sites
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago on Jan. 26. Photo: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A collection of Quaker groups sued the Trump administration Monday over a policy allowing federal officials to arrest undocumented immigrants in "sensitive" spaces, like houses of worship.
Why it matters: The policy, issued as part of a bevy of measures meant to carry out Trump's long-promised immigration crackdown, reversed a long-standing federal policy against raiding spaces like churches and schools.
- The policy provoked immediate outcry from Christian denominations around the country.
Driving the news: Five Quaker congregations, also known as the Religious Society of Friends, filed the lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and new DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in federal court in Maryland on Monday.
- The lawsuit argued allowing raids in places of worship violates Quakers' freedom to practice their religion, which they said requires them to welcome everyone.
- "Quaker religious practices depend on communal worship. And Quakers believe that the presence of worshippers from different backgrounds is integral to hearing messages from God," the suit said.
- As such, the policy "substantially burdens" the Quakers' ability to freely exercise their religion in the way intended, interfering with their "ability to hear and receive messages from God," the suit argued.
A DHS spokesperson told Axios the department does not comment on pending litigation.
What they're saying: Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the Quaker groups in the suit, called out President Trump Monday for violating the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights.
- "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," Perryman said in a statement.
The big picture: The Quakers appear to be the first religious organization to challenge the policy, according to NBC News, which first reported the lawsuit.
Zoom out: Other lawsuits have been brought to slow Trump's immigration crackdown.
- Advocacy groups supporting the sanctuary city movement in Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government Sunday over its plans to conduct mass deportation raids in the city, Bloomberg Law reported.
Flashback: The original DHS policy restricting ICE arrests in sensitive areas was issued during the Obama administration, in 2011.
Go deeper:
- Trump's immigration orders rebuked by Christian leaders
- ICE can raid churches and schools to arrest immigrants under new policy
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Skye Perryman.
