A Massachusetts judge issued a preliminary injunction against a 2025 federal policy that allowed immigration agents to conduct warrantless arrests and searches inside houses of worship.
TLDR
A federal judge in Massachusetts has partially blocked a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy that removed long-standing restrictions on immigration enforcement at “sensitive locations” like churches. The 2025 policy, which replaced a 2021 memo requiring headquarters approval for such actions, granted agents broad discretion to conduct operations during religious services. The court found that several church organizations had standing to sue due to measurable declines in attendance and participation. Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV ruled that the policy likely violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) because it imposes a substantial burden on religious exercise without being the least restrictive means of enforcement. The injunction prohibits warrantless enforcement inside or within 100 feet of churches for the named plaintiffs who established standing.
Case Info
Case Caption: New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, et al.
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