Legal Action
Mennonite Church USA v. Department of Homeland Security
Filed in: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Summary
A coalition of Christian and Jewish religious organizations has sued the Trump-Vance administration to prevent deportation raids from occurring in their places of worship. On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would remove previous limitations on where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could conduct deportation raids by rescinding a previous policy that barred raids in “sensitive locations” (which includes places of worship and religious ceremonies). The plaintiffs argue that the new rule allowing ICE raids on religious sites violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment, and the Administrative Procedure Act. The plaintiffs requested that the court find the new deportation guidelines unlawful and issue an injunction preventing immigration authorities from conducting deportation raids at religious sites and during religious ceremonies.
Plaintiffs
- Mennonite Church USA
- African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
- Central Atlantic Conference United Church of Christ
- Central Conference of American Rabbis
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Church of the Brethren, Inc.
- Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas
- The Episcopal Church
- Fellowship Southwest
- Friends General Conference
- General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church
- Latino Christian National Network
- Massachusetts Council of Churches
- New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
- New York State Council of Churches
- North Carolina Council of Churches
- North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church
- Rabbinical Assembly
- Reconstructing Judaism
- Rhode Island State Council of Churches
- Union for Reform Judaism
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
- Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church
- Wisconsin Council of Churches
- Wisdom, Inc.
Plaintiffs' Counsel
- Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP)
Defendants
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Secretary Kristi Noem
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Acting Commissioner Pete R. Flores
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Acting Director Caleb Vitello