CAIR Strongly Opposes Planned Immigration Raids at Houses of Worship, Other Sensitive Locations – Newark Raid, ACLU Advice on Raids
CAIR Strongly Opposes Planned Immigration Raids at Houses of Worship, Other Sensitive Locations
- Ismail Allison
- January 23, 2025
- 3:29 pm
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed strong opposition to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive issued on Tuesday that authorize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct raids on sensitive locations, including churches, mosques and other houses of worship.
The directive removes longstanding restrictions on enforcement actions in sensitive locations, such as schools, houses of worship, and hospitals, and allows for arrests at public demonstrations. CAIR warned that these measures will undermine public trust, discourage vulnerable communities from seeking essential community and religious services, and chill First Amendment rights by deterring lawful religious gatherings and protests.
In announcing the directives, Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman justified the policy by claiming it would allow law enforcement to “catch criminal aliens—including murderers and rapists—who have illegally come into our country.” CAIR strongly condemned this rhetoric as inflammatory, harmful, and inaccurate given that the orders authorize raids on sensitive locations to target any and all undocumented immigrants.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said:
“This DHS directive upends our nation’s tradition of respecting the privacy and safety of sacred, educational, and charitable institutions. By targeting schools, houses of worship, and hospitals, the administration is unnecessarily going overboard in its enforcement of immigration law. Expanding enforcement to public demonstrations and religious spaces also erodes civil liberties by creating a chilling effect on lawful protests and acts of worship, infringing on the First Amendment rights of all Americans whose lives may be also disrupted by these raids on sensitive places.”
Tonight, at 8:00 PM Eastern, CAIR plans to host a virtual community briefing about the potential impact of President Trump’s first wave of executive orders and these new DHS directives on American Muslims, free speech, and legal immigration.
CAIR encourages American Muslim leaders, community members, partners, and interested members of the public to register for the webinar.
WHAT: CAIR Briefing on Impact of President Trump’s First Executive Orders
WHEN: Jan. 23, 2025 @ 8 PM Eastern Time
WHERE: Virtual. Register for the briefing here.
Since his inauguration on Monday, President Trump has signed approximately 100 executive orders, including several directly impacting the American Muslim community.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com
Meawhile there was a raid on a Newark business establishment today that indignified reportedly a US armed forces veteran. The following is Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s response and following there is a set of steps to take for those who are confronted by these repressive forces.
