
“This is an important course correction from the Trump administration’s attack on every person’s right to believe as they choose without coercion,” said the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Interfaith Alliance’s president and CEO, in a statement. “The federal government has an obligation to ensure all people can equitably access life-saving social services without sacrificing their religious freedom rights and without fear of discrimination.”

A Texas Episcopal priest’s detention by ICE is a concerning development in the midst of the Trump administration's attack on religious freedom. It shows how unchecked enforcement threatens our faith communities and furthers an already eroding public trust.

The memorandum NSPM-7 enables the administration to investigate and prosecute individuals and entities it deems to be a threat to national security. In reality, NSPM-7 is a method to suppress free speech; it is not designed to actually address national security concerns.