Once again, an activist judge and left-wing “religious” groups have teamed up to undermine law enforcement and make America less safe. A coalition of Quaker, Baptist, and Sikh congregations just won a legal battle against the Trump administration, blocking federal officials from enforcing immigration laws in their places of worship. Apparently, some believe churches should double as safe havens for illegal immigrants rather than remain houses of faith.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang—an Obama appointee, naturally—ordered the Trump administration to revert back to Biden-era policies that tied the hands of immigration enforcement in these religious spaces. The ruling doesn’t extend nationwide and doesn’t prevent action in cases where agents have a warrant, but it still sets a troubling precedent: some groups get to pick and choose which laws apply to them.
Shortly after taking office, President Trump wasted no time in reversing Joe Biden’s soft-on-illegal-immigration policies. His administration rescinded an order that had previously barred enforcement actions in “sensitive” areas, like schools and churches. The message was clear: criminals should not be able to hide in religious buildings to escape justice.
But that was too much for this coalition of religious groups, which represents 1,400 Baptist churches, a Sikh temple serving about 30,000 in California, and six Quaker meetings across the East Coast. They took their grievances to court, claiming that enforcing immigration law in churches somehow violated their First Amendment right to freedom of assembly.
Their argument? That merely allowing law enforcement into places of worship created a “chilling effect,” scaring off congregants—including legal citizens—who suddenly feared attending church. Because apparently, expecting federal law enforcement to do their job is now considered oppressive.
The Trump administration is not violating the First Amendment. They are not telling illegal aliens who do not belong here and who have committed crimes after they got here, that they can’t pray to the God of their choice. The First Amendment has nothing to do with a building.
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELPredictably, Judge Chuang sided with the activists because obviously. In his 59-page opinion, he wrote:
“The substantial burden that the policy is far from speculative and is already occurring. The 2025 Policy will significantly affect Plaintiff’s expressive association by removing any meaningful limitations on intrusions into places of worship by armed law enforcement officers.”
Translation: Immigration laws are fine—just as long as they don’t actually get enforced where they might make an impact on American citizens’ lives.
Of course, when it came time to justify this ruling, Chuang turned to the usual left-wing talking points. He cited concerns from the plaintiffs about a supposed “chilling effect” and claimed the policy change would prevent certain communities from feeling safe in their places of worship. But here’s the thing: law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from ICE. Only those breaking the law should be worried. This is yet another leftie judge interfering with President Trump from governing. The Democrats lost everything in the election, and they are using left-wing hack judges to do their dirty work for them.
Chuang’s ruling provided some insight into the administration’s position. The Trump team argued that there was no “objectively reasonable” reason for anyone to fear the policy, since it merely instructed officers to use discretion in sensitive areas—it didn’t mandate aggressive enforcement.
Yet Chuang wasn’t listening. He cited a Trump administration press release that rightfully stated:
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
Apparently, making it clear that fugitives won’t be able to exploit religious spaces as hiding spots was too blunt for some. Chuang also referenced media reports framing the policy as an effort to “free [federal agents] up to go after more illegal immigrants”—as if that were a bad thing.
And let’s not ignore the most glaring issue: These religious groups openly serve immigrant communities and, in many cases, likely provide aid to those who are here illegally. Chuang admitted as much, writing that DHS would logically direct enforcement efforts toward these congregations. Well, yes—because that’s where lawbreakers are! It’s like asking a bank robber, “Why do you rob banks?” And he responded, “Because that’s where the money is.” This is not rocket science.
The Bottom Line
This ruling is yet another roadblock for those trying to uphold law and order in America. The Trump administration was simply ensuring that criminals could no longer abuse places of worship as a shield against accountability. But thanks to activist judges and progressive religious groups, ICE agents now have fewer tools to do their job.
The Left think they are doing a good thing here but they are actually putting American lives at risk. The Trump Administration for right now is only going after violent, criminal, illegal aliens who are highly likely to harm more Americans the longer they are allowed to stay in this country illegally.
The message from this ruling is clear: If you break the law but find sanctuary in a church, you just might get away with it. But for those who still believe in borders, law enforcement, and national security, this fight isn’t over.
These judges are out of control and need to be held accountable. Impeach and remove Judge Theodore Chuang within a week, and watch how quickly the rest wake up, respect Article III, and stop trampling on the separation of powers.
#securetheborder #judicialoverreach #lawandorder