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Judge blocks Donald Trump immigration policy allowing arrests in churches for some religious groups
A federal judge on Monday blocked immigration agents from conducting enforcement operations in houses of worship for Quakers and a handful of other religious groups.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang found that a Trump administration policy could violate their religious freedom and should be blocked while a lawsuit challenging it plays out.
The preliminary injunction from the Maryland-based judge only applies to the plaintiffs, which also include a Georgia-based network of Baptist churches and a Sikh temple in California.
They sued after the Trump administration threw out Department of Homeland Security policies limiting where migrant arrests could happen as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
The policy change said field agents using “common sense” and “discretion” can conduct immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship without a supervisor’s approval.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that the new DHS directive departs from the government’s 30-year-old policy against staging immigration enforcement operations in “protected areas,” or “sensitive locations.”
Five Quaker congregations from Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia sued DHS and its Secretary, Kristi Noem, on Jan. 27, less than a week after the new policy was announced.
Many immigrants are afraid to attend religious services while the government enforces the new rule, lawyers for the congregations said in a court filing.
“It’s a fear that people are experiencing across the county,” plaintiffs’ attorney Bradley Girard told the judge during a February hearing. “People are not showing up, and the plaintiffs are suffering as a result.”
Government lawyers claim the plaintiffs are asking the court to interfere with law-enforcement activities based on mere speculation.
“Plaintiffs have provided no evidence indicating that any of their religious organizations have been targeted,” Justice Department attorney Kristina Wolfe told the judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama.
More than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans have also filed a similar but separate lawsuit in Washington, D.C.
Plaintiffs in the Maryland case are represented by the Democracy Forward Foundation, whose lawyers asked the judge to block DHS enforcement of the policy on a nationwide basis.
“DHS’s new policy gives it the authority to enter any house of worship across the country, no matter its religious beliefs,” the attorneys wrote.
Government lawyers say immigration enforcement activities have been allowed in sensitive places, including houses of worship, for decades. The only change in the policy is that a supervisor’s approval is no longer mandatory, they added.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
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Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis is launching a Florida version of DOGE, the quasi-department that has upended a handful of federal agencies in the weeks since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The initiative, the “DOGE Task Force,” lifts the name of the Elon Musk-led version and will essentially mirror it in form and function, though it’s unlikely to be staffed by sub-20-year-old techies.
The executive order establishing the task force notes that Florida has the fewest government employees per capita of any state. Separately, recent legislative committee testimony focused on state jobs that have remained vacant for years.
Still, DeSantis believes the state workforce should be further reduced. He wants to cut 740 net positions in the next budget despite adding law enforcement and corrections staff. DeSantis is also proposing the sunset of 70 Boards and Commissions with 900 associated positions “to get them off the books,” pending legislative ratification.
“There’s hundreds of these things. A lot of people have never heard of them, but they’re there,” DeSantis said.
He noted that many of them hadn’t met in years. He also wants to “utilize” artificial intelligence for contract review.
Additionally, DeSantis wants to ensure colleges and universities are “good stewards” of tax dollars, asking for an independent audit of their finances in what he calls the “DOGE-ing” of the State University System.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—“Young voters worldwide shifting away from establishment parties.” via Dave Trotter of Voting Trend
—”U.S. votes against U.N. resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war” via Karen DeYoung and John Hudson
—”Inside the proposed U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal” via Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler of Axios
—”Donald Trump poised to extort Ukraine in the name of peace” via Mac William Bishop of Rolling Stone
—”Three years into war in Ukraine, Trump ushers in new world for Putin” via Paul Sonne of The New York Times
—”Elon Musk is trying to make sleep deprivation cool again” via Dylan Scott of Vox
—”DeSantis disses Byron Donalds, touts First Lady, when asked about 2026 Governor race” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
—”Joe Gruters looks to strike ‘Gulf of Mexico’ from school materials” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”Blaise Ingoglia files bill to raise homestead exemptions, says current cap ‘doesn’t cut it anymore’” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“We’ve achieved victories in Florida. We need to start achieving those victories up there. You got a guy like Byron — he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here …”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, dinging Donald Trump’s pre-endorsed 2026 Governor candidate, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Order a Slash and Burn for DeSantis, who wants to cut 700-plus government positions through his state-level DOGE Task Force.
Sen. Joe Gruters gets a dram of Redacted Bros. for his bill to strike all mentions of the Gulf of Mexico from school materials.
Sen. Blaise Ingoglia earned a Sweet Relief by filing a measure that would up property tax exemptions from $50,000 to $75,000.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Seminoles host Tar Heels tonight
Florida State hosts North Carolina tonight in a matchup of teams trying to turn around disappointing basketball seasons (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Seminoles (16-11, 7-9 ACC) have not won more than two consecutive games since before Thanksgiving, while the Tar Heels (17-11, 10-6) have won three straight after losing five of seven games in conference play.
Tonight’s game is the only game scheduled between the two teams this season, but they could meet in the ACC tournament next month.
FSU is coming off an 89-81 loss at #25 Louisville on Saturday. The Seminoles found themselves in a big hole at halftime, trailing by 14 before closing the gap to six with less than two minutes to play. Jamir Watkins, FSU’s leading scorer on the season, scored 23 points to lead FSU in the game.
North Carolina has beaten Syracuse, North Carolina State, and Virginia in the last three games. None of the Tar Heels’ opponents in that stretch were ranked.
Tonight’s game will impact both teams’ position in the ACC tournament. UNC is sixth in the conference standings. The top four seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals. Florida State is eighth in the conference standings. Seeds five through nine get a bye to the second round.
After playing North Carolina, the Seminoles will face #3 Duke, unranked Virginia, and SMU to close out the regular season.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
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Three Democratic lawmakers hope to stop language gaps from enabling swindlers.
Sen. Tina Scott Polsky and Reps. Johanna López and Marie Woodson have filed twin bills (SB 846, HB 915) to prevent cases of notary fraud against immigrants who are trying to properly legalize their status.
Despite the legislation’s immigration focus, it’s hardly a partisan issue.
If passed, the measure would prohibit notaries from referring to themselves as a “notario,” “notario público,” immigration consultant or any other title suggesting that they possess professional legal skills in immigration law.
The measure would also require people or businesses to clearly notify customers that they are not licensed immigration law practitioners and provide prosecutors and victims of fraud legal paths to seek monetary damages against fraudsters.
The problem the legislation seeks to address stems from an unfortunate loss in translation.
In Hispanic countries, a “notario público” is a highly trained legal professional similar to a lawyer who provides legal advice and can draft legal documents, according to the National Notary Association.
But in the United States, a notary public is a state-commissioned official with narrow witnessing duties and far less discretion. In many cases, their authority begins and ends with signing a document stating they witnessed others signing it.
Naturally, this has led many Spanish speakers and those for whom English is either a second or foreign language to be misled into thinking they are dealing with legitimate legal experts. And some unscrupulous people have capitalized on the misunderstanding, accepting payment for services they are neither trained nor authorized to perform and then improperly handling and filing visas, green cards, work permits and citizenship applications.
Polsky, a Boca Raton lawyer, said the recent back-to-back Special Sessions on immigration show that it’s as much a front-and-center issue in the Sunshine State as it is federally, so her proposal should gain traction as lawmakers convene for Session next week.
“Due to the high priority this Legislature and (Gov. Ron DeSantis) placed on immigration, I hope that our legislation will be a priority … to address the ongoing issue of fraud and provide vital legal resources for our immigrant community,” she said in a statement.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues, community advocates, and legal experts to bring this bill to life and make Florida a safer place for all who call it home.”
Woodson, a public administrator from Hollywood who was born and spent her youth in Haiti, said that despite existing laws that regulate the legal profession, “notario fraud” remains a persistent problem in Florida.
“Many victims fearing retaliation or uncertain about their rights to not report these fraudulent practices, allowing bad actors to continue operating with impunity,” she said in a statement. “That is why our proposed legislation seeks to require cleaner disclosure requirements for non-attorneys offering immigration-related services.”
Several lawmakers have tried recently to address notary fraud. Last year, Hialeah Gardens Republican Sen. Bryan Ávila carried a proposal to stiffen penalties against wrongdoers while hiking record-keeping and recording strictures. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate before stalling out in the House, where Miami Republican Rep. Juan Porras carried a similar companion measure.
The legislation followed several notary-related fraud cases, including ones involving Miami’s then-City Attorney, a pair arrested in Monroe County on forgery charges and other, similar schemes across the state aimed at stealing homes from the elderly.
In December, the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office dropped charges against former Rep. Carolina Amesty, a Republican notary public from Windermere, who had been accused of forging a form for a private school her father founded.
Amesty, who lost her re-election bid in November, consistently maintained her innocence.
The bills by Polsky, López and Woodson are narrower in scope than Ávila and Porras’ proposals. But their priorities — preventing fraud and punishing those who commit it — overlap.
López, an Orlando public relations and civic engagement specialist, said her legislation will help countless people.
“Florida is home to millions of immigrants who contribute to our economy, culture and communities,” she said. “They are business owners, teachers, healthcare workers, and neighbors who enrich the fabric of our state. Ensuring they have access to legitimate legal representation and protection from fraud is not just a moral imperative — it is a matter of public safety and economic stability.”
SB 846 and HB 915 await committee references. The 2025 Legislative Session begins March 4.
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