Today, PYM joined our neighbors in New England and Baltimore Yearly Meetings as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security.
Friends are encouraged to learn more information about the lawsuit in the press release from Democracy Forward which filed the suit, as well as this article at NBC News. You can read complaint, by following this link.
The suit challenges an immigration enforcement decision that interferes with and could significantly impacts freedom of religion.
Background
The Trump-Vance administration rescinded a 31+ year policy that prevented immigration enforcement—including arrests, investigations, or surveillance—at “protected areas.” Also called “sensitive locations,” these areas include schools, hospitals, houses of worship, and public religious ceremonies like weddings and funerals. The new policy allows government agents to conduct enforcement operations in those locations, requiring only that they use “common sense.” As a result, people of various faiths may avoid going to their houses of worship for fear of government enforcement. This harms immigrants who will stay home, as well as houses of worship and their members, who lose the ability to worship together.
- According to NPR, “Trump Administration Strips Schools, Churches of Immigration Enforcement Protections” (Bustillo and Martínez-Beltrán, January 21, 2025)
- According to Reuters, “Trump Scraps Guidance Limiting Immigration Arrests Near Sensitive Locations” (Hesson, January 21, 2025)
The Lawsuit
Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that uses the law to build collective power and advance a bold, vibrant democracy for all, is representing PYM, New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM), Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM), as well as Adelphi Meeting and Richmond Meeting (both part of BYM).
The core of the lawsuit argues that if the protections of religious exercise mean anything under the law, it must include the right of people to gather together for worship. If the government is going to impede that right, it must have a very good reason for doing so. The government has not enforced immigration law at houses of worship for at least the last 31 years, so it is difficult to see how an about-face on that policy could satisfy any meaningful level of review.
“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 and associate freely,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Our team is honored to represent Quaker meetings that have been at the forefront in protecting values of religious liberty for centuries, and we will urge the court to act swiftly to halt this unlawful and harmful policy.”
Our Participation
The possibility of joining a lawsuit came up last week in discussions with other Quakers and with denominations through the National Council of Churches. The Clerks Group—which includes the clerks of PYM and its councils, the treasurer, and the General Secretary—seasoned the idea and called a meeting of the Joint Council the next evening. An attorney from Democracy Forward joined that meeting to answer questions. After worship, discussion, questions, answers, and more worship, the Council was clear to say yes to joining the suit.
On the eve of the suit being filed, the Clerks Group invited clerks of monthly and quarterly meetings to a Zoom meeting to hear about the lawsuit. Because the legal process requires confidentiality around privileged information, very little was said prior to the suit being filed. As soon as the information could be made public, PYM shared the details.
Message From Christie Duncan-Tessmer, General Secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
“Since our yearly meeting’s founding in 1682, and since William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania, we have protected space for Quakers and other religious minorities to practice their religion. Our faith requires us to do justice, oppose war and violence, love our neighbors (with no exceptions), and make decisions with everyone in the room. Everyone’s faith requires being with their faith family. The DHS policy impedes all of these things and invades our sacred space and ability to worship freely. We are committed to continuing what we started more than 300 years ago—ensuring that people can practice their religion.”
More Information
For more information or additional questions, please contact Nikki Mosgrove, Presiding Clerk of PYM, at nmosgrove@pym.org, or Christie Duncan-Tessmer, General Secretary of PYM, at cduncan-tessmer@pym.org.
