True Religious Freedom Means Protecting Our Faith Leaders, Not Detaining Them

In early July, Ayman Soliman, a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his asylum status was terminated in June. In response, local faith leaders organized a prayer vigil, rally, and peaceful march; during the march at least 15 protesters were detained by local police and charged with felony rioting.

Faith leaders have also signed a letter voicing concerns about the treatment of ICE detainees in Butler County Jail, where Soliman is being held. The letter criticized the county’s decision to contract with ICE and the reported abuses detainees have faced. For instance, Soliman’s lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition for his release, alleging that he was unconstitutionally placed in solitary confinement after attempting to practice his religion.

This incident is just one example of a new and alarming trend: the Trump administration’s repeated violation of due process. Even as it positions itself as defenders of faith communities and of religious freedom, Interfaith Alliance has documented time and again how it trample on our rights and attack religious communities who don’t agree with it. Since the beginning of his term, Trump has used immigration enforcement activities to create a culture of fear among immigrant communities by attacking faith communities. By rescinding sensitive location guidance that protected schools, hospitals, and houses of worship from immigration action, Americans have faced repeated attacks on their freedom of worship. 

As a lawsuit filed by our partners at Democracy Forward states, “ICE agents have arrested people in church parking lots and during preschool pickup, and even attempted arrests while pastors were preaching. These actions have caused church attendance to decrease, forced congregations to lock their doors, and silenced the ministries that make worship communities safe for all people, regardless of their immigration status.”

The Trump administration’s blatant attacks on faith communities and faith leaders demonstrates their callous disregard for the fundamental rights and freedoms afforded to every individual in the United States, regardless of their immigration status. Not only is it disregarding the First Amendment right to freedom of religion, but it is also disregarding the Fifth Amendment right to due process and the Sixth Amendment right to a fair and speedy trial. For Trump, “immigration enforcement” has become another avenue towards authoritarian control.

To learn more about how faith leaders are fighting back against unlawful immigration enforcement actions, read this new report from the Law, Rights & Religion Project at Union Theological Seminary.

The views and beliefs expressed in this post and all Interfaith Alliance blogs are those held by the author of each respective piece. To learn more about the organizational views, policies and positions of Interfaith Alliance on any issues, please contact [email protected].