US Judge Will Not Curb Immigration Enforcement in Places of Worship

12/4/2025 6:28

A federal judge on Friday refused to limit the Trump administration's immigration enforcement activities in places of worship, ruling against a group of 27 religious organizations that had sued the administration for dropping a longstanding policy against enforcement in sensitive locations.



U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term in office, found that the organizations likely did not have legal standing to bring the case because the claims that they faced harm were speculative.



Christian and Jewish umbrella groups including the Mennonite Church USA, Central Conference of American Rabbis and Convencion Bautista Hispana de Texas, along with individual churches, sued the Department of Homeland Security and other immigration enforcement agencies in February. They argued that the administration's policy change violated their right to religious freedom under federal law and the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.