by WorldTribune Staff, February 25, 2025 Real World News
Not long ago, leftist activists begged government to shut down churches lest they become sites of "superspreader" events.
Now, those same leftists want the government to stay the hell away from places of worship.
A federal judge on Monday blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting raids at Quaker, Baptist, and Sikh places of worship that are suing over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policy.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, an Obama appointee, said his ruling doesn’t conclusively resolve whether the move complies with the First Amendment and the groups’ federal religious protections.
“The Court finds only that at this early stage of the case, on the sensitive and fraught issue of when and under what circumstances law enforcement may intrude into places of worship to conduct warrantless operations, the 2025 Policy’s lack of any meaningful limitations or safeguards on such activity likely does not satisfy these constitutional and statutory requirements as to Plaintiffs, and that a return to the status quo is therefore warranted until the exact contours of what is necessary to avoid unlawful infringement on religious exercise are determined later in this case,” Chuang wrote in his ruling.
The judge’s injunction does not apply nationwide. It only prevents the administration from conducting immigration enforcement at the religious institutions that sued: various Quaker groups, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) and Sikh Temple Sacramento.
“Plaintiffs have provided evidence that the willingness of their congregants to attend worship and participate in ministry services is presently being chilled, and that, particularly at CBF and the Sikh Temple, attendance at such activities has already declined,” Chuang wrote.
Judge Chuang is married to Jacinta Ma, a former Biden-Harris administration official who advocates for open borders.
Natalie Winters reported that Ma "appears to be the former Vice President of National Immigration Forum, a pro-open borders advocacy group."
"The National Immigration Forum advocates for MASS AMNESTY and staunchly opposes border enforcement policies," Winters noted. "George Soros's Open Society Foundation is also reportedly the group's largest donor."
After Trump's election victory in November, Ma advised the Biden White House to "immediately raise the refugee cap through an executive order."
In addition to working for Obama, Ma was Joe Biden's Director of the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she worked on "anti-racism."
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