“Last week, immigration authorities arrested Jeanette Vizquerra, an immigrant and activist who gained prominence during the first Trump administration after she sought refuge in churches to avoid deportation. That move comes amidst Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and, in particular, targeting of targeting ‘sanctuary’ policies. But even if one thinks that sanctuary policies are misguided or unjust, that shouldn’t lead to an embrace of the other extreme: that immigration laws must be enforced to their fullest extent in all places and at all times, even at the expense of fundamental rights like religious freedom.
“Even perfectly legitimate laws can be enforced in ways that are harmful, and good governance requires the wisdom to enforce the law in ways that are consistent with other values. Unfortunately, in one of the administration’s first actions, Trump officials authorized immigration agencies to enforce the law in needlessly damaging ways. The administration rescinded a . . . policy that instructed officers not to take immigration enforcement actions in or near so-called ‘sensitive’ or ‘protected’ places, such as churches, schools, and hospitals. Already, immigration officers have made at least one arrest at a church during worship. . . .
“Threatening arrest in places of worship deters undocumented (and even some documented) immigrants from visiting these places. But to what end? Needlessly burdening someone’s faith doesn’t make us safer (more likely the opposite). And it’s not a just way to treat another person, law-abiding or not. . . .”– Churches Are for Prayer, Not for Immigration Arrests, Newsweek, 3/24/25 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: According to this Newsweek article, arresting illegal aliens in a church is a violation of the right of religious freedom. This writer fails to understand that religious freedom, as we have understood it constitutionally, refers to the right to follow the faith of one’s choice. It is not immunity from law enforcement simply for being in a church or other house of worship.
Are we to believe that police should refrain from following a murderer who flees into a church? What if they think he’s planning to shoot up the congregation? Common sense should answer these questions. In some instances, if safety isn’t an issue, law enforcement might avoid disrupting a service by waiting until the suspect leaves, and then pick him up. By all means, authorities should display sensitivity to the circumstances involved.
Nevertheless, the state has no obligation to accept the claims of some religious groups that they are entitled to use their houses of worship as sanctuaries for lawbreakers, including illegal aliens. Under our form of government, which recognizes a separation of church and state, they don’t have this authority. Nor does the state, when it acts arbitrarily to limit a curtail law enforcement. This was the case when the Biden Administration, listed churches, schools and other places weren’t allowed to do their jobs. This extensive patchwork of no enforcement zones had the effect of hamstringing all enforcement.
The Bible calls on believers to obey rulers when they enforce legitimate laws. Illegal alien advocates don’t seem to think that immigration laws are legitimate, but most Americans do. Under our form of government, they decide legitimacy.