Gilbert Attorneys Help Secure Injunction to Protect Worshippers at Sensitive Locations

February 17, 2026

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an order Friday temporarily enjoining the Trump administration’s policy that rolled back immigration-related protections at certain “sensitive locations” such as houses of worship.  Gilbert is proud to have played a major role in securing this important victory.

For many years, the government maintained a policy where it would, in most circumstances, refrain from immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations, in order to allow worship without the chilling fear of immigration-related actions.  However, the Trump administration changed that policy in early 2025 and sought to effectively give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its bureaus, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), free rein to conduct raids and enforcement actions at these locations.

Gilbert, along with Democracy Forward and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, sued on behalf of eleven plaintiffs representing thousands of churches, arguing that the sudden change was unlawful and unconstitutional.

The Court granted preliminary injunctive relief with respect to the vast majority of the plaintiffs in the case.  In its Order, the Court stated:  “The prospect that a street-level law-enforcement agent—acting without a judicial warrant and with little or no supervisory control—could conduct a raid during a church service, or lie in wait to interrogate or seize congregants as they seek to enter a church, is profoundly troubling.”  The Court went on, stating that it “could conceive of no circumstance, outside of a true emergency, in which a law-enforcement operation to enforce the immigration laws inside a church would be justifiable” under the Constitution and existent law.

Gilbert Litigation Partner Sonia Murphy, who led Gilbert’s team, said today, “Freedom of religion, including the ability to worship without fear of law enforcement, is a fundamental American value protected by the Constitution.  Unfortunately, actions by DHS have made our clients (and others at sensitive locations throughout the country) fearful of worshipping in community.  We are thrilled that the Court has issued this preliminary injunction, acknowledging the harms caused by the change in policy.  This represents a first step towards justice, and will help ensure that our clients can worship freely without this fear.  We look forward to seeing this case through to a final resolution and to a complete victory for those affected by DHS’s actions.”

While the relief granted by the Court is preliminary, we look forward to securing a permanent victory protecting those at sensitive locations in the near future.  The Gilbert team also includes Rick Leveridge, Brandon Levey, Samone Ijoma, Brittney Welch, Stephanie Seymour, and Lyric Burnett.