Quakers Sue the Department of Homeland Security
“A group of Quaker congregations is suing the Department of Homeland Security for changing a policy that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from carrying out operations in so-called ‘sensitive locations’ such as houses of worship, playgrounds, schools and hospitals without approval from supervisors.
Noah Merrill, secretary of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, told NBC News in an email: ‘Quaker meetings for worship seek to be a sanctuary and a refuge for all, and this new and invasive practice tangibly erodes that possibility by creating unnecessary anxiety, confusion, and chilling of our members’ and neighbors’ willingness to share with us in the worship which sustains our lives. This undermines our communities and, we believe, violates our religious freedom.'”
— Laura Strickler, 2025
Senior investigative producer and reporter for NBC News
Carol E. Lee
Washington managing editor for NBC News
Today’s Invitation
Learn what to do if ICE comes to your place of worship.
This Week’s Query
How do you resist empire in your life?
How do you take responsibility for the ways in which you have benefited from and been complicit with empire? How does living each day with integrity and love require you to be different or in the minority?
Banner image: Zan Lombardo
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