Judge moves to hold DHS in contempt over church surveillance case

Federal Judge Dennis Saylor has taken the first step toward holding the Department of Homeland Security in contempt for allegedly ignoring a February injunction that prohibited immigration enforcement activities inside houses of worship. The action follows an undercover DHS agent accidentally dropping a recording device inside a Minneapolis church gym and conducting surveillance of the church’s exterior and parking lot.

A broad coalition of church groups, including several regional synods and Baptist organizations, filed a request for contempt last week. Saylor’s order requires DHS to file a written show-cause response explaining the breach. The development adds to ongoing tensions between the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategies and religious institutions asserting their rights.