In Mennonite Church USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, (D DC, April 11, 2025), the D.C. federal district court, in a suit by 27 Christian and Jewish denominational bodies and organizations, refused to issue a preliminary injunction to require DHS to reinstate its "sensitive locations" policy which severely limited the situations under which immigration enforcement actions could take place at churches, synagogues, mosques and other institutions of worship. The court concluded that plaintiffs lacked standing to bring a pre-enforcement challenge to rescission of the policy. The court rejected arguments by plaintiffs of injury based on the imminent risk that immigration enforcement actions will be taken at member congregations; of injury from declines in attendance at worship services and social service ministries; of needing to restrict in-person services to protect immigrants; and of cost of increased security measures.
