Judge blocks Trump administration from making immigration arrests at some places of worship

Washington — A federal judge in Maryland blocked the Trump administration on Monday from carrying out immigration enforcement actions at certain places of worship for Quakers, Cooperative Baptists and Sikhs, who filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's unwinding of a Biden-era memo that barred immigration arrests at certain protected locations.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang granted a request for a narrow preliminary injunction sought by the religious groups as they pursue their challenge to Mr. Trump's directive allowing federal immigration authorities to conduct enforcement actions at places of worship. Chuang's order does not block the administration's policy nationwide, and only applies to houses of worship owned or used by the challengers — the Quakers, Cooperative Baptists and Sikhs.

The groups had argued that the new policy allowing immigration arrests at places that were previously considered protected violates their First Amendment rights and burdens the free exercise of religion under federal law.