Fourth group of religious organizations sues US over ICE raids at churches

A group of Christian denominations and organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday (July 28) against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem over the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a policy discouraging immigration raids at houses of worship, the fourth such suit to be brought on the question of arrests made at so-called “sensitive locations.”

In the past, immigration enforcement actions at churches were discouraged by a 2011 internal government memo that advised against raids at sensitive locations, such as houses of worship, schools and hospitals. But Trump did away with the policy shortly after taking office, which faith groups argue in their suit “is not just harmful and un-American” but also “violates federal law,” citing both freedom of assembly guaranteed under the First Amendment as well as rights outlined by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

“For Plaintiffs and their members, the present threat of surveillance, interrogation, or arrest at their houses of worship means, among other things, fewer congregants participating in communal worship; a diminished ability to provide or participate in religious ministries; and interference with their ability to fulfill their religious mandates, including their obligations to welcome all comers to worship and not to put any person in harm’s way,” the complaint reads.

Religion &Politics

Photos of the Week: Saint festival in feathers, Army chaplains

Representatives from across the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps attend an event at Chaplains Hill at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, Friday, July 25, 2025. The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps celebrated its 250th birthday on July 29, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)

In Opinion

And finally, US military chaplaincy marks 250 years of providing spiritual support to service members

In 1775, a year before there was a United States and six weeks after the Continental Army was formed, George Washington made a declaration that has shaped the military ever since.

“We need chaplains,” he reportedly remarked, prompting action by the Continental Congress near the start of the Revolutionary War.

The U.S. military chaplaincy will mark 250 years on Tuesday (July 29), as the national military marked its own 250th anniversary in June. A week of celebrations includes a golf tournament at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, hosted by an organization raising funds for scholarships for family members of chaplains, and a sold-out ball nearby in Columbia. Meanwhile, across the globe, thousands of clergy in uniform continue to provide counsel and care to military members of a range of faiths or no faith.

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