Churches, faith leaders respond to rising fear over immigration raids

As immigration enforcement continues across the nation, religious leaders are speaking out in the form of lawsuits, saying their services are being interrupted by fear. The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church recently joined a coalition of faith groups in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem. 

Faith leaders take legal action against enforcement policies

The lawsuit outlines what the groups describe as an “aggressive immigration policy” that is creating fear and interrupting religious services.

“We are witnessing an unprecedented assault on religious liberty, as ICE raids have created a climate of fear and division, preventing people of all faiths and citizenship statuses from gathering for prayer and receiving vital services. Silence in the face of such oppression is simply not an option,” said Bishop Paul D. Erickson with the Milwaukee Synod. 

Several faith groups, including Lutheran synods, Quaker meetings, Baptist organizations, and Metropolitan Community Churches, are standing together in court. They want the protections restored so that houses of worship can remain safe, welcoming spaces where people can gather.

The faith groups teamed up with Democracy Forward, a nonprofit legal firm known for suing the Trump administration on various matters. Earlier this year, Democracy Forward filed a similar case for Quaker communities and a federal judge in Maryland blocked immigration raids on their properties. However, the injunction only applied to the groups involved, not nationwide. This new lawsuit aims to extend those protections to other houses of worship.

What the lawsuit says about religious freedom

The lawsuit challenges the policy that enables ICE to make arrests at places of worship, arguing it violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by putting an unfair burden on people’s right to worship freely. It also claims the government ignored legal requirements when it overturned a decades-old policy without explanation.

For over three decades, the federal government has avoided immigration enforcement at sensitive places like houses of worship, according to the coalition. The goal was clear and simple: protect people’s right to attend religious services without fear of raids or arrests.

Under this rule, agents could only act at or near these sites in urgent situations, or after getting approval from supervisors who were themselves bound to keep enforcement away whenever possible. If enforcement was absolutely necessary, officers had to be discreet and minimize disruption to the community.

The lawsuit points to January 2025, when DHS abruptly scrapped these protections. Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a memo stripping away clear guidelines and handing enforcement decisions over to individual agents’ “common sense,” without any rules.

Rising fear and declining attendance in churches

Since then, immigration actions near churches and other sacred spaces have surged. Faith leaders say this new approach chills religious practice and weakens their communities.

Church leaders are allowing members to skip services if they fear immigration enforcement. For example, after a recent enforcement sweep in Nashville, the Diocese told worshippers they don’t have to attend Sunday Mass if they feel at risk. Attendance at two major Spanish-speaking parishes dropped about 50%.

Fear radiating through church based food pantries

Faith groups are also seeing fewer families at their food pantries. The lawsuit says many are skipping meal programs or going without food out of fear of being detained by ICE.

In June, Straight Arrow News highlighted the rising demand for food banks, noting that federal funding cuts have worsened the situation.

Food insecurity is rising again, with more Americans struggling to afford enough food. The 2025 Feeding America survey finds that people in food-insecure households need an extra $22.37 per person each week to meet their basic food needs. That’s a 5.1% increase from last year’s $21.28, and a 1% rise after adjusting for inflation. Since 2020, the gap has grown by 55%, indicating that inflation in 2022 and high prices in 2023 aren’t the only factors at play.