WASHINGTON — Texas religious organizations are among the more than two dozen groups suing the Trump administration over a policy change allowing arrests of undocumented immigrants in houses of worship. Some Christian leaders in Texas say not only is it a violation of First Amendment rights, but it also runs counter to what scripture says about welcoming foreigners.
One reverend affirms houses of worship as sanctuaries, yet acknowledges safety concerns within churches.
“People are very vulnerable when they come to the church, because they come to the church to be nurtured spiritually, and it is so disturbing to know that when people are coming to the church to be seeking peace, to seeking spiritual enrichment, they run the risk of being arrested right there and then,” said Rev. Carlos Malavé, the executive director of the Latino Christian National Network, which includes Latino Christian leaders from Texas and across the country.
President Donald Trump upset some religious leaders by allowing immigration officers to make arrests in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and churches. It is a reversal of a longstanding policy in place during his first term.
Some religious leaders say there has been decreased attendance at worship services and other programs following the announcement.
“Food banks in our churches, or people who come for ESL classes and the like, services that we provide, people are staying away from churches because they fear being targeted when they are attending our churches, for all the services that our churches provide,” Malavé said.
Malavé’s group is one of the 27 organizations that filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging the Trump administration’s policy.
“The government recognized the right that the church has and to be able to serve and minister and execute its First Amendment rights without government intrusion, and when the green light is given for officers to be able to come in, we believe that’s an infringement of our religious liberty,” said Jesse Rincones, executive director of Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas.
The group serves about 1,100 Hispanic Baptist churches in the state of Texas and is another plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“It also interferes with our calling to love our neighbor, to minister to the stranger and to the foreigner that is among us. You know, our responsibility is to care,” Rincones said. “We’re not there to do any kind of enforcement or get in the way of government to enforce. We just want our ability to be able to serve and to minister and to worship to be unimpeded.”
The president’s tough new immigration policies have also caught the attention of Pope Francis. In a strongly worded letter to American Catholic bishops, the pope denounced mass deportations. The president’s border czar, Tom Homan, dismissed the pope’s message.
“He ought to fix the Catholic Church and concentrate on his work and leave border enforcement to us,” Homan told journalists at the White House.
The Trump administration has suggested that criminals hide in these sensitive locations to avoid detection and arrest, which some challengers in the lawsuit refute. The groups are seeking an injunction restricting arrests at houses of worship, with exceptions if there is a judicial arrest warrant or a pressing circumstance.
