Federal judge blocks Trump administration immigration policy at West Sacramento temple
A federal judge in Maryland has blocked the use of a new and controversial immigration policy at certain places of worship across the country, including a Sikh temple in West Sacramento.
Quaker and Baptist groups in other states, along with Sikh Temple Sacramento, are suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the agency rescinded a guidance that immigration officials were to avoid enforcement actions at or near places of worship as policy.
“It’s good to see that the court saw it the same way we do,” said Amar Shergill, a member of the local congregation’s executive management committee.
The case is still ongoing. The order, by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, does not apply to all religious centers, just those that are involved in the lawsuit.
They include the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship network, which has more than 1,000 churches, and Quaker groups that represent congregations in many states, according to Democracy Forward, a national legal group that filed the case.
Shergill said the Trump administration’s decision to change the policy has caused worshippers to be concerned and has disrupted their ability to come together as a community.
“We are prevented from being in union,” he said.
The religious groups, in their lawsuit, argued that deterring people from attending services “chills” their “First Amendment rights of association.”
An attorney representing the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The head of the agency, Kristi Noem, is also named in the lawsuit.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Federal judge blocks Trump administration immigration policy at West Sacramento temple."
