A federal judge has upheld a Trump Administration policy that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out enforcement operations at churches and other places of worship, representing another major court victory for the administration as it seeks to accelerate its mass deportation operations.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House, denied a request from more than two dozen Jewish and Christian organizations to block the policy. In a lawsuit brought forward by the groups, they argued that the policy infringes on religious freedom and was causing a drop in attendance at religious services, especially among illegal aliens who fear potential deportation.

“That evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering ICE in their own neighborhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk,” Friedrich wrote in her ruling.

The Washington-based judge found that the plaintiffs lack standing after finding little evidence that the administration was singling out places of worship. She also rejected the claim that the policy could be blamed for drops in attendance, noting that only a handful of immigration enforcement operations have taken place in and around churches or other places of worship.

Kelsi Corkran, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said they are reviewing the decision and assessing their options. “We remain gravely concerned about the impacts of this policy and are committed to protecting foundational rights enshrined in the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” Corkran said.

Phoenix, Arizona – December 22, 2024: President Trumps’s appointed border czar, Tom Homan at AmericaFest.

On January 20, the day President Trump was sworn in for his second term in office, he immediately moved to rescind a Department of Homeland Security policy limiting where immigration enforcement operations can take place. Under a new policy, agents who use “common sense” and “discretion” can conduct operations at places of worship without approval from a supervisor.

The plaintiffs had argued that the policy deviates from 30 years of federal government policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in “protected areas” or “sensitive locations.”

Judge Friedrich, however, did not find sufficient evidence that the threat of immigration enforcement in places of worship had a negative effect on attendance, arguing that the drop could be attributed to broader actions undertaken by ICE.

Despite the court victory, the administration is still hoping to clear additional hurdles relating to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations.

A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked operations from taking place on properties belonging to some groups, including Quakers. A separate federal judge in Colorado sided with the administration in a similar case, however.

Judge Friedrich’s ruling comes a little under a week after the Trump Administration secured their biggest court victory of the president’s second term when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling on Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee, placed a temporary restriction on the order, which gives the president expanded powers to deport illegal aliens suspected of having ties to foreign criminal or terrorist organizations.

Boasberg’s decision was ultimately overturned in a 5-4 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.