Court allows multifaith challenge of Trump administration policy

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Oct. 20 that a multifaith coalition may continue its legal challenge to a Trump administration policy regarding immigration enforcement. The ruling reverses a previous decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which had found that the coalition lacked standing to challenge the policy.

The lawsuit, filed in 2025 by more than two dozen religious organizations, contests the rescission of long-standing restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions at sensitive locations. The policy change reduced protections for sites such as houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, allowing arrests at these locations unless exceptions for national security or public safety apply.

Kelsi Brown Corkran, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and director for the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, stated that the decision recognizes the harm caused to religious communities when DHS rescinded protections that had been in place for over three decades. The coalition represents 27 Jewish and Christian denominations and organizations.