Originally Published Feb 12, 2025 - Updated on March 19, 2026
We are a community rooted in worship and in peace and justice. It is important for Quaker Meetings to be prepared if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officials arrive at a Meetinghouse. This guide outlines steps to protect vulnerable individuals and uphold our values of sanctuary and solidarity.
Coalition Files Notice After Reports Emerge of Renewed Threats of Immigration Raids
Boston, MA – A coalition of faith-based organizations and houses of worship filed a notice with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, et al., v. Department of Homeland Security, et al., after multiple reports indicated that the Trump-Vance administration is preparing immigration enforcement operations inside churches with Spanish-speaking congregations and other houses of worship during the upcoming holiday season. Pastors in New England, Georgia, and North Carolina have described visits from federal agents requesting names and addresses of congregants. U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys have also reportedly held internal briefings referencing a nationwide holiday plan targeting religious communities.
West Chester Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
We invite you to read this statement, consider it prayerfully among your meeting or congregation, and take a similar stand if you feel led to do so in a manner consistent with your faith tradition.
[Read more…] about Minute of Intent to Protect from West Chester Friends Meeting
Friends are sharing minutes that express solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities; reflect on the Department of Homeland Security lawsuit; address unjust incarceration; and affirm support for Lenape leaders. [Read more…] about Share Your Minutes!
Authorship attributed to Christie Duncan-Tessmer
Because of our lawsuit, organizations that support immigrants in Philadelphia have reached out to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to be in relationship. One of the things I’ve learned is that a result of our government’s current approach to immigration is that immigrant-owned shops are struggling—staff and customers are afraid to go to them. This suggests one faithful response to the question, “What can I do?”: shop at immigrant-owned stores. [Read more…] about Love Thy Neighbor Walk
Beginning May 4, a group of New York City Quakers from Brooklyn Monthly Meeting’s Peace and Social Action committee will be leading The Quaker Walk to Washington, An Interfaith Pilgrimage for Migrant Solidarity and Universal Freedoms. The group will walk 300 miles from Flushing, Queens to Washington D.C. and expect hundreds to join along the way while drawing attention to migrant persecution and free speech rights. [Read more…] about Quaker Walk to Washington | Frequently Asked Questions
The following minute was adopted earlier this spring by Haddonfield Meeting, New Jersey: [Read more…] about Haddonfield Supports PYM joining the immigration-sanctuary lawsuit
Photograph of a building at Cheyney University.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Annual Sessions will take place from Wednesday, July 23 – Sunday, July 27 at Cheyney University’s campus, offering a space for Friends to worship in community and practice our faith. The theme of sessions, Members One of Another, reminds us that our faith is not just about the places we meet, but the relationships we build, nourish, and support. [Read more…] about Annual Sessions to Address Deferred Question: How Are We Called at This Moment?
The event took place in the worship room at Friends Center, bringing together worship leaders, city officials, healthcare workers, legal professionals, and community advocates. They joined together to address the impact of immigration enforcement on Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and communities. The event allowed attenders to learn what is happening and ways to take action. [Read more…] about One Philadelphia: A Community Meeting about Immigrant Rights & Concerns
Democracy Forward Filed Suit on Behalf of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento, Six Quaker Yearly Meetings
Court’s Order Blocks Enforcement In Plaintiffs’ Houses of Worship
Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued an order blocking the Trump administration’s policy that enables immigration officials to enter houses of worship indiscriminately to conduct immigration enforcement operations. The order, which outlines the ways in which the Trump administration policy is likely to violate religious freedom and expression rights, applies to Plaintiffs’ houses of worship.
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