Government · Boston, MA Metro · August 19, 2026
Federal Court Blocks DHS Immigration Raids at Houses of Worship
A U.S. District Court judge in the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction in New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, blocking a DHS policy that had opened the door to immigration arrests and surveillance at and around houses of worship. According to the ruling and statements from plaintiffs' counsel — Democracy Forward, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Gilbert LLP — the federal government had maintained a 'sensitive locations' policy for more than three decades that limited ICE enforcement at churches, schools, and similar sites. The Trump administration reversed that policy, and this court order restores the prior restriction, at least for the named plaintiffs, pending further litigation. The court reportedly found that 'routine immigration enforcement cannot justify the harm to religious freedom posed by the new policy.' This is a preliminary injunction, not a final ruling, and the case continues. The plaintiff congregations are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's New England Synod.
Source: WTVB
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
Regardless of denomination, the underlying principle here concerns every Bible-believing congregation: the government's ability to conduct arrests and surveillance inside or near a place of worship. For decades federal policy has recognized that sacred assembly should not be treated as a law-enforcement staging ground, and this ruling reaffirms that restraint — for now. Christians should watch this case closely, not because of the plaintiff's theological positions, but because the legal precedent set here regarding government access to houses of worship will apply to every congregation, conservative or otherwise. Scripture calls believers to gather without fear, and government overreach into that gathering — from any administration — is a matter of legitimate concern for the Church's ability to freely exercise its calling.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. — Hebrews 10:25
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From the book
Most policies currently threatening religious liberty and parental rights were never passed by Congress or by a state legislature. They were enacted by career officials interpreting vague statutes in ways that granted themselves new powers. Activists use Rule 4 to pressure agencies, arguing that broad terms already in existing law, words like safety or non-discrimination, mandate radical new enforcement. The result is a fundamental transformation of society without a single vote being cast.
— Chapter 20, “The Strategic Terrain: The Administrative State”
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