The ruling focused on the plaintiffs’ lack of legal standing, not the policy’s legality. In contrast, a Maryland judge blocked similar enforcement near certain religious sites.

In a recent court decision, Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled against churches challenging the Trump administration’s policy allowing immigration arrests near their premises. The lawsuit, which claimed that the policy led to declining attendance and empty pews, was dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate sufficient harm.

The policy in question reversed a rule put in place during the Biden administration, which limited immigration enforcement near sensitive locations such as churches and schools. While the churches argued that the policy was directly impacting their congregations, Judge Friedrich stated that the decline in attendance could be attributed to broader immigration actions rather than the specific policy in question.

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