Legal challenge to US immigration enforcement in sensitive's

A multifaith coalition of over two dozen religious organizations, including various Christian and Jewish denominations, is legally challenging a Trump administration policy that rescinded long-standing restrictions on immigration enforcement at sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.

On October 23, 2026, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a lower court ruling that had previously determined the coalition lacked standing to sue. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court ruled that the plaintiffs demonstrated an “imminent threat of immigration enforcement actions within their temples and ministries.”

The case, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, will return to the lower court. There, the organizations can again seek an injunction to suspend immigration inspections in these locations while the merits of the case are adjudicated. The plaintiffs argue that the January 2025 policy change, which allows agents to decide whether to act in sensitive locations, violates the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and administrative law.