Religious liberty? Trump is obstructing freedom of worship

People abducted from church parking lots Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shooting pastors while praying Religious groups terrified to run their soup kitchens Church pews empty as congregants stay home in fear 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 That s a sham One of us is a legal expert who specializes in religious freedom The other is a Presbyterian minister and former vice chair of the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom Both of us are gravely concerned about how the Trump administration s anti-immigrant agenda is undermining our nation s founding promise of religious liberty For more than years a sensitive locations plan has restricted immigration enforcement programs at houses of worship religious ceremonies hospitals and schools But the very day Trump was inaugurated he revoked that protocol and enabled ICE agents to surveil and arrest people as they worship Consider just a sparse tactics the administration s immigration policies are obstructing free worship For more than years a sensitive locations framework has restricted immigration enforcement exercises at houses of worship religious ceremonies hospitals and schools But the very day Trump was inaugurated he revoked that framework and enabled ICE agents to surveil and arrest people as they worship Now religious groups are suing the administration for intruding on these sacred spaces Immigration agents have also seized people who are seeking asylum because they are escaping religious persecution And Republican leaders have opened investigations into religious nonprofits that serve expatriates baselessly suggesting that the organizations are only serving them to enrich their own coffers or even more outrageously engage in money laundering All of these attacks have created a civilization of fear that is further crushing religious liberty Multiple people of faith are forgoing attending services because they are afraid of being confronted by ICE even if they have legal status Slowly but surely this is weakening fellowship and neighborhood bonds the hallmarks of various religious groups Related Pope Leo takes aim at MAGA s false gospel We re hearing firsthand from faith communities and nonprofits seeking guidance on how to remain true to their missions and values and ensure that their religious rights are protected Thankfully faithful Americans of the past and present offer us several answers There s a long and robust history of conflict between anti-immigration strategy and people of faith in the United States A textbook example is the Sanctuary Movement of the s Rev John Fife and Quaker rancher Jim Corbett planted the seeds of what would become the Sanctuary Movement when Corbett who had already been welcoming Central American refugees into his home challenged Fife to do the same at his church and in the homes of his congregants The movement spread and included at its peak hundreds of congregations of a great number of denominations that aided thousands of refugees and helped pass major ordinance But the federal executive tried to crush the movement through undercover criminal investigations and prosecutions of sanctuary workers Fortunately it did not succeed In the largest criminal trial of the Sanctuary Movement era eight sanctuary workers were exposed guilty of charges including engaging in a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented people into the country However due to overwhelming general advocacy and an extensive sophisticated configuration of sanctuary organizers nationwide the judge handed down shockingly lenient sentences Five years probation Want more sharp takes on politics Sign up for our free newsletter Standing Room Only written by Amanda Marcotte now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts The Sanctuary Movement succeeded in part because it was well-organized and widely-distributed winning the hearts and minds of broad audiences by effectively communicating that the organizers faith traditions commanded them to protect refugees We are well-equipped to meet in the modern day s moment if we learn from this history Multiple groups are already applying these lessons by engaging in protest preaching advocacy direct help and litigation to fight for their immigrant neighbors This includes championing our First Amendment right to worship freely The Trump administration has already signaled that if left unchecked it will force the nation to comply with its own narrow religious vision Trump lately reinstituted a version of his infamous Muslim ban and created an Eradicating Anti-Christian bias task force aimed at privileging conservative Christianity If we allow this White House to curtail religious liberties now we ll invite even more considerable erosion of our rights We need your help to stay independent Subscribe nowadays to patronage Salon s progressive journalism We need people with power and guidance to vocally patronage and materially protect settlers History shows that defending targeted communities requires us to emphatically reject fear-mongering and to provide the support they need to stay safe We need our the greater part visible and respected region members to stand proudly with immigrants offer them patronage and remind people of their humanity Multiple faith communities are already stepping up They re accompanying foreigners to their immigration hearings hosting vigils for people that have been disappeared by ICE and protesting in the streets for immigrant rights Ultimately we must use the legal system to the best of our ability The Law Rights and Religion Project at Union Theological Seminary in recent weeks published a record to encouragement faith-based organizations houses of worship and civil rights advocates The document includes a history of immigration-related religious liberty lawsuits and guidance to approach nowadays s legal system We proudly encouragement the prospect of a nation where everyone can worship freely Unfortunately if Trump s anti-immigrant agenda continues we ll never achieve that vision Read more about this topic Too risky Scholars who examination America say they won t visit John Roberts is slowly dismantling America Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem s shambolic ICE tour The post Religious liberty Trump is obstructing freedom of worship appeared first on Salon com