WASHINGTON.- A group of religious organizations filed a lawsuit against the government of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, for supporting migratory raids in Iglesias, claiming that they represent an attack against religious freedom.
The lawsuit, filed by 27 religious organizations before the Federal Court of the Columbia district, questions the legality of an order issued on January 21 by the Trump administration that allows immigration authorities to make raids in schools, churches and hospitals.
“Protected Areas”
This order revoked a directive of his predecessor, the Democrat Joe Biden (2021-2025), which established a series of “protected areas” where the raids were prohibited.
Specifically, the 27 religious organizations asked the Federal Court of the Columbia district to invalidate the presidential order and prohibit the Department of National Security (DHS, in English) to carry out arrests in Iglesias except in “exceptional circumstances.”
Its argument is that this measure violates religious freedom protected by the first amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits the Government from interfering with worship activities.
Religious freedom
“The religious freedom of our churches and our members is being attacked,” said Reverend Carlos Malavé, president of the National Latin Christian Network (LCNN), which groups some 3,000 churches.
Malavé, born in Puerto Rico and with 35 years of experience as a religious leader, stressed that, although there has been “very difficult moments” in the history of immigrants in the US, “never in recent history a situation has been experienced how are you doing”.
Since Trump implemented this measure, explained the pastor, many parishioners have stopped going to the churches and have chosen to follow religious services online for fear of raids.
A situation that he can only compare with the live during the Covid-19 pandemic. «With the pandemic people did not come out because they feared for their physical health. Now they do not want to leave because they fear for their life in another way. Not necessarily physical, but they are afraid for his life and for the well -being of his family, ”he said.
The 27 demanding organizations belong to various denominations, such as baptists, conservative and reformist Jews, evangelicals and Lutherans, among others. However, they all coincide in the same belief: “Every human being, regardless of their place of birth, is a son of God and deserves dignity, care and love.”
Welcome Immigrants
In demand, organizations underline that welcoming “foreigner or immigrant” is a fundamental precept of their faith. Therefore, many of them have acted as “sanctuaries” for migrants, offering them refuge and protection to the risk of being deported to countries where their life could be in danger.
Kelsi Corkran, lawyer of the Institute for Constitutional Defense and Protection (ICAP) and one of the jurists who participated in the drafting of the law religious and association.
According to Corkran, the demanding organizations argue that Trump’s measure not only violates the first amendment, but also the Law of Restoration of Religious Freedom (RFRA) of 1993, which prohibits the federal government and the states to restrict the exercise of religion without a justification of force majeure.
Before Trump’s order, security forces could only enter a place of worship in extreme circumstances. “The only thing that changes with the revocation of that measure is that they can now enter at any time to carry out a migratory control action,” said Corkran.
Agobio climate
This order has generated a climate of overwhelming and uncertainty within religious congregations, which feel trapped between the need to protect their faithful and the desire to fulfill their spiritual mission.
If justice keeps Trump’s order in force, the plaintiffs argue, the raids will cause “devastating, direct and substantial damage” in the ability of the churches to congregate their faithful and exercise their faith freely.
In addition, they insist that the simple threat of these actions is already having a “paralyzing effect” in many religious communities in the country.
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