News / FJP Releases
FJP and Law Enforcement Officials Warn That DHS Policy Allowing Immigration Enforcement in Houses of Worship Endangers Community Trust and Undermines Public Safety
January 5, 2026 (Richmond, VA) — Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP), joined by the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to halt immigration enforcement actions in and around houses of worship. The brief calls on the Court to affirm the district court’s grant of a preliminary injunction barring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from eliminating longstanding protections for these sensitive spaces.
For over 30 years, administrations of both parties have placed firm limits on civil immigration enforcement in houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and other places long recognized as sensitive locations because of the vital role these places play in the daily lives of families and communities. Houses of worship and other sensitive locations serve as sanctuaries of safety, security, and support, offering essential services ranging from food assistance and childcare to health care, education, counseling, and spiritual guidance. DHS reversed these restrictions in January, empowering individual Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents to carry out arrests in these areas at their own discretion, without regard to the destabilizing effect such enforcement has on community well-being.
“The decision to allow immigration arrests in sensitive locations like houses of worship, schools, and health care facilities is a direct threat to community safety,” said Aramis Ayala, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution. “When people fear that attending religious services, bringing their children to school, or seeking medical care could lead to harassment, detention, or deportation, trust in law enforcement collapses. Victims stay silent, witnesses disappear, and people avoid the very institutions that people turn to in their most vulnerable moments, institutions that help keep communities healthy and stable. Public safety depends on trust and cooperation, and aggressive enforcement actions in spaces meant for care, learning, and worship destroys both.”
The brief emphasizes that community trust is essential to effective law enforcement. Research consistently shows that when people view the legal system as legitimate and protective, they are more likely to report crimes, cooperate with investigations, and engage with the courts. DHS’s policy eliminating protections against immigration enforcement in houses of worship, however, combined with a surge in aggressive enforcement tactics across the country, has created widespread fear among immigrant and Latino communities and damaged the critical relationships prosecutors and police rely upon to keep the public safe.
Houses of worship and other sensitive locations are also fundamental pillars of civic life. These spaces connect people, strengthen neighborhoods, and reduce crime by addressing root causes of instability. Across the country, faith leaders report steep drops in attendance and participation since DHS removed protections for sensitive locations, leaving vulnerable families without services they depend on and further weakening the civic infrastructure that underpins public safety.
“As law enforcement professionals, we know public safety depends on trust and cooperation. Allowing immigration enforcement in places like schools, hospitals, and houses of worship destroys that trust, making it harder for us to keep communities safe,” said Lieutenant Diane Goldstein (Ret.), Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. “People must be able to go to class, see a doctor, or attend religious services without fearing an immigration raid. We urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reverse this harmful decision and reaffirm that true safety comes when everyone feels secure in seeking care, education, and community.”
FJP and LEAP call on the Court to affirm the district court’s decision and stop the DHS from eliminating long-standing safeguards that protect houses of worship and the communities they serve.