The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on August 20 that a lower court injunction blocking immigration arrests near houses of worship can stay in place while the underlying case continues. The lawsuit, filed by six Quaker meetings, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation in Georgia, and a Sikh temple in California, challenged a 2025 policy that removed longstanding protections for religious spaces from immigration enforcement. The court found the government had not met the strict justification required under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, writing that attending religious services sits at the heart of religious liberty protections.
The ruling applies only to the plaintiffs in this case, not nationwide, and similar lawsuits are still working through other courts with mixed results. Since the 2025 policy took effect, some churches reported lower attendance and reduced giving as families stayed home out of fear of enforcement near their place of worship.