“People abducted from church parking lots… religious groups terrified to run their soup kitchens… This is the country we live in, the America that President Donald Trump has consistently claimed he would transform into a beacon for religious liberty.”

–LRRP Director Liz Platt

This report is intended as a practical tool for immigration attorneys, criminal defense lawyers, civil rights advocates, faith-based organizations, and houses of worship.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Max Herman.

In January of 2025, President Donald Trump withdrew a policy known as the “sensitive locations memo,” which had previously limited immigration enforcement in locations such as houses of worship and religious ceremonies. Religious groups challenged the withdrawal of these protections as, among other things, a violation of the groups’ religious liberty rights. This document provides updates on initial decisions in these lawsuits.

This FAQ explains whether and how RFRA might apply to protect people and communities of faith from immigration-related surveillance and enforcement.

LRRP Director Elizabeth Reiner Platt explores the Trump administration’s continued assaults on progressive rights of conscience.

A comprehensive report documenting the many contexts in which people of faith engaged in humanitarian and social justice work have fought for the right to exercise their religion.

LRRP Faculty Director Katherine Franke penned this amicus brief in support of Rev. Kaji Douša, who sued DHS, CBP, ICE, and the people leading these agencies after they retaliated against her for providing pastoral services to migrants and refugees.

Nationally recognized law professors with expertise in religious liberty law filed an amicus brief in the appeal of the convictions of four sanctuary activists who were found guilty in the crime of leaving water and food in the desert for migrants.

LRRP’s Founding Director, Katherine Franke, filed two amicus briefs in support of activists from the migrant relief group No More Deaths.

Five prominent professors of law and religion, including LRRP’s Founding Director, Katherine Franke, filed an amicus brief in support of Dr. Scott Warren, a humanitarian aid worker who faces up to twenty years in prison for providing food and shelter to migrants crossing the Arizona desert.