Indy-based church joins immigration enforcement lawsuit against Trump administration

One Indianapolis-based church joined dozens of religious groups in a recently filed lawsuit against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policy allowing for arrests to be made in places of worship.

The administration's actions to increase deporting people in the U.S. without legal status has left a chilling effect in communities including places of worship.

Rev. Terri Hord Owens is the general minister and president of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that is headquartered in Indianapolis.

Owens said it was expected there would be increased immigration enforcement based on actions taken during President Donald Trump’s first-term in office, but not to the extent currently happening.

“We never thought that the protections that we’ve enjoyed for so many years, that protect our sacred spaces from interruption and intrusion, would come to be under attack in this way,” Owens said.

Owens said she has heard from congregations experiencing decreased attendance to church and community outreach services in response to the administration’s immigration policies.

She said the church joined the lawsuit to fight for the protection of its congregations. 

“It’s sad that it would take this action to formally guarantee those rights, but that’s really what we’re standing on, and we want to be sure that whatever the court hands down, allows us to be able to guarantee those rights,” she said.

The Trump administration has yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

In a separate lawsuit filed on Monday by Quakers, Baptists and Sikhs, a federal judge temporarily blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement from entering the plaintiffs places of worship.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered Newscaster and Reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.