Clergy Vows to Resist Trump’s Church Immigration Crackdown

Faith leaders across the United States are preparing to defy the Trump administration’s new immigration enforcement policies that allow arrests at previously protected locations such as schools, churches, and hospitals.

The policy reversal, announced earlier this week, has stoked fear in migrant communities as the president warns of immediate mass deportations.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.

Why It Matters

The White House’s directive ended the practice of treating churches, schools, and hospitals as “sensitive locations” off-limits to immigration enforcement. Members of the clergy aren’t happy about this, fearing it will dissuade migrant communities from accessing crucial services and finding solitude in their spaces.

This, along with President Donald Trump hitting out at Reverend Mariann Budde’s sermon at the National Cathedral earlier this week, has somewhat soured relations between the White House and America’s religious community.

What To Know

Churches and religious leaders nationwide have played a prominent role in offering sanctuary to undocumented migrants. According to the Church World Service, at least 70 migrants publicly sought refuge in churches between 2014 and 2018 to avoid deportation.

In Los Angeles, Reverend Maria Elena Montalvo of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church said her congregation has provided sanctuary for immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers since 2016.

“People are afraid to go to work, to school, to live their lives freely because they are afraid of being arrested or deported,” said Montalvo, herself an immigrant from Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is equipping migrants with legal knowledge and resources to prepare for potential encounters with immigration enforcement officers.

Families Fear Arrests

In a statement, Catholic Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, described the change as “cynically layering a blanket of anxiety on families when they are worshipping God, seeking healthcare, and dropping off and picking up children at school.”

Seitz, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ migration committee, pledged to support migrant communities through education, legal services and advocacy.

Reverend Manuel Rodriguez of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Queens, New York, said many of his 17,000 parishioners are undocumented and have children who attend the parish’s school.

“We have children who are shaking literally and crying,” Rodriguez told the Associated Press. “They know that at any time their mom, their dad, could be arrested, and they could come back from school, and they could be gone.”

“Undocumented people go to church every week to pray that they can make ends meet, so they can pay the rent for their families,” he said. “People are trying to survive, and this is just putting them through hell.”

Portland Reverend W.J. Mark Knutson said he plans to offer undocumented migrants sanctuary at Augustana Lutheran Church regardless of the consequences.

“Theologically, we’ll stand our ground against the government––an unjust law is no law at all,” Knutson told the Associated Press. “These are sacred spaces.”

What People Are Saying

Reverend Robin Hynicka, pastor of Philadelphia’s Arch Street United Methodist Church, to the Associated Press: “Sanctuary has to be a value that we extend to one another through our policies, through the laws we enact.”

Reverend Joseph Dutan of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Queens, New York, told the Associated Press that doubting the safety of his congregation is “more than scary, it’s sad.”

“I feel very bad for my people because they have a lot of fear in their heart.”

Reverend Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and a Trump supporter, to the Associated Press: “There’s no such thing as a sanctuary that’s immune from the laws of our land,” Jeffress stated. However, he downplayed the likelihood of churches being targeted first for enforcement.

What Happens Next

The scope of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration agenda is already facing legal challenges. The ACLU and immigrant rights groups have sued the president for his plans to remove birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants, which one federal judge has temporarily blocked and called “blatantly unconstitutional.”

Despite the uncertainty, religious leaders are gearing up to protect their communities.

“Turning places of care, healing, and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need, while endangering the trust between pastors, providers, educators and the people they serve will not make our communities safer,” said Seitz.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.