Quaker groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, following the president’s latest round of anti-immigration policies.
Five Quaker groups, a historically Christian denomination which originated in the 1640s, filed the suit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday (27 January) over an executive order that threatened to rescind guidelines which have prevented immigration officials enforcing action in “sensitive” locations.
Among a large number of executive orders Donald Trump has signed in his first week back in the White House, were a set of anti-immigration policies, as well as anti-LGBTQ+ legislation aimed at mitigating the rights of queer groups.
In the lawsuit, the Quakers, who are represented by Democracy Forward, argue that, while several of the orders are unconstitutional, Trump’s immigration policy would allow Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) officers to go into schools and places of worship, thus violating religious rights.
“A week ago today, President Trump swore an oath to defend the constitution and yet today religious institutions that have existed since the 1600s in our country are having to go to court to challenge what is a violation of every individual’s constitutional right to worship,” Skye Perryman, the president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, wrote.
It is alleged that Trump’s policy specifically incites fear among Quakers, who promote the idea that all people can provide “unique messages from God”, no matter their background, and migrant-friendly congregations have raised concerns over potential arrests, with some services being cancelled.
According to a post from ICE, at least 956 arrests were made and 554 “detainers lodged” on Sunday (26 January) alone.
“Our faith requires us to do justice, oppose war and violence, love our neighbours (with no exceptions) and to make decisions with everyone in the room,” the lawsuit says. “The DHS policy impedes all these things and invades our sacred space and ability to worship freely.”
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