(NewsNation) — More than 25 religious groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a Trump administration order that allows immigration agents to make arrests at houses of worship.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington and says the new policy is spreading fear and lowering attendance at services and other church programs, which the groups say infringes their religious freedom.
That freedom, the groups say, includes their ability to minister to immigrants, including those who don’t have documents.
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“We have immigrants, refugees, people who are documented and undocumented,” said the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
“We cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear,” he said “By joining this lawsuit, we’re seeking the ability to gather and fully practice our faith, to follow Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves.”
Plaintiffs note that programs held by churches, including food banks, meal programs, homeless shelters and support programs for immigrants could be affected because people may be fearful of participating.
The lawsuit represents several denominations, including those with a large presence in the U.S. Groups included in the lawsuit include Reform Judaism, with more than one million followers, the Episcopal Church with 1.5 million members, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) with nearly 1.1 million members and the African Methodist Episcopal Church with 1.5 million active members.
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Other denominations include the Christian Chruch (Disciples of Christ), the Church of the Brethren, the Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas, the Friends General Conference, the Mennonite Church U.S.a, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and regional branches of the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ.
An earlier lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Maryland by Quaker congregations who objected to the change, which the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple later joined.
Prior to the change, immigration agents needed special authorization to conduct operations at sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
In one recent incident, a Honduran man was arrested outside his church in the Atlanta area while a service was being held inside.
The Trump administration has not responded to the newest lawsuit though an earlier memo filed in opposition to the Quaker lawsuit outlined arguments including that the suit is based on hypothetical future harm and isn’t sufficient for an injunction to be issued.
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One group that did not join the lawsuit is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, though it has criticized the immigration crackdown with Pope Francis issuing a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s deportation plan, saying forceful removal of people just because of their immigration status deprives them of their inherent dignity.
Many conservative Christian faith leaders and congregations have not shared these concerns and have expressed support for the harsh immigration policies being put in place.
