PUBLISHED
OCT 21, 2026 AT 11:30 AM EDT
By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
A federal appeals court has allowed a coalition of religious organizations to pursue its challenge to the Trump administration’s decision to lift restrictions on immigration enforcement at houses of worship.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 Tuesday that the religious organizations had sufficiently demonstrated standing at this stage of the case, reversing a lower court decision that found the threat of enforcement was not sufficiently imminent. U.S. Circuit Judge Florence Pan, a Biden appointee, joined by U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee, wrote the majority opinion. The case was sent back to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, to reconsider the request for a preliminary injunction. U.S. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented.
The ruling does not decide whether the administration’s policy is lawful, nor does it prohibit ICE from carrying out enforcement actions at churches.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stand guard in front of protesters outside Delaney Hall, which is being used as an Immigration and Cu... | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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The legal disputes follow the administration’s elimination of protections that had generally discouraged immigration arrests and other enforcement activity at sensitive locations.
Religious organizations challenging the change say immigration enforcement in and around churches can deter some people from attending worship services and participating in ministries. The administration has argued that immigration officers should retain discretion to enforce federal law rather than be governed by categorical restrictions on particular locations.
