(MAINE) Maine churches are racing to adjust after the Department of Homeland Security ended long-standing protections for churches as sensitive locations, triggering a visible rise in immigration enforcement at or near houses of worship. On January 20, 2025, DHS, under Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman, rescinded the policy that had discouraged Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out arrests in churches, schools, and hospitals.
With decisions now left to agent discretion guided by ‘common sense,’ pastors across the state say they are revising safety plans, training volunteers, and warning parishioners who fear raids during worship.
The shift is rippling beyond Maine. Reports from July 2025 describe ICE agents arresting people outside churches in California and, in one instance, brandishing weapons at clergy. Faith leaders in Portland, Lewiston, and several smaller towns say those headlines have fueled anxiety among immigrants who had counted on sanctuaries for calm and community. Several congregations report lower attendance and donations as families choose to stay home.
Church councils now ask basic questions they never expected: Who should talk to agents at the door? How can we notify families fast without spreading rumors?
Policy shift and national fallout
Until this year, the ‘Sensitive Locations’ approach served as a guardrail meant to protect vulnerable people from enforcement at places like churches, schools, and hospitals. DHS’s reversal under Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Secretary Huffman has replaced those guardrails with broad agent judgment.
DHS says officers will weigh safety and mission factors, but there are no longer strict rules for churches. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the change has seeded confusion for congregations that run food pantries, youth groups, and legal clinics—ministries that immigrants rely on in daily life.
The Department has framed the rollback as a return to field awareness rather than a formal ban on operations in certain spaces. The official guidance is not a line-by-line rule but an expectation that agents use judgment. DHS has said decisions rest with individual officers, guided by ‘common sense.’
The agency’s public materials explain immigration enforcement in broad terms; readers can find DHS policy pages at the Department of Homeland Security. For Maine churches and immigrant-led groups, that vagueness has raised hard planning questions.
Faith leaders argue that worship is central to community life and that fear of arrest on the way to Sunday service burdens religious freedom. In New England, the Senate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has joined a lawsuit challenging DHS, asserting that the loss of protections chills attendance and ministry.
Local officials and immigrant advocates echo those worries, saying fewer people are coming to church-run clinics or youth programs. The concern is straightforward: if people think Sunday could end with detention, they will stay away.
Key takeaway: The policy rollback transfers decision-making to individual officers, increasing uncertainty for congregations that provide services relied upon by immigrant communities.
Maine’s on-the-ground response
Across Maine, churches are adopting step-by-step plans for any contact with federal officers. Pastors and deacons are assigning a response team, keeping details for attorneys, and explaining rights to congregants.
The United Church of Christ and Episcopal Migration Ministries have begun legal webinars to walk through risk, recordkeeping, and pastoral care in these moments. The Episcopal Church in Maine distributes biweekly policy updates and hosts a network that shares best practices in advocacy, service, and community education. Church staff say these routines help calm nerves and reduce rumors.
Common practical steps adopted by churches
- Designate two or three point people to speak with federal agents and to contact counsel.
- Prepare multilingual notices so congregants know who to call and where to wait if officers arrive.
- Keep a rapid phone tree to share verified updates and avoid panic.
- Coordinate with nearby congregations to swap volunteers if a service is interrupted.
In Portland, volunteers have launched an ‘ICE watch’ effort that uses trained observers to monitor public activity and share accurate, real-time information with immigrant families. Organizers say the group currently has five to ten active volunteers and hopes to expand. Churches function as recruitment hubs, connecting trusted members with the watch network.
The goal is narrow: reduce rumors and provide basic facts when immigration enforcement is visible near church doors or parking lots, without interfering with officers or putting volunteers at risk.
Clergy also report a steady flow of calls from parents asking if it is safe to attend midweek programs. Some leaders have:
- Shifted evening events earlier so families can return home before sunset.
- Moved counseling sessions online.
- Used immigrant rights group training materials to dispel rumors and explain how to seek legal help.
Churches say those sessions have cut down on secondhand information from social media and encouraged families to ask questions in person when they do come to worship.
Legal and political outlook
Multiple lawsuits are pressing the courts to reinstate protections at sensitive locations or to clarify the limits of enforcement around worship services. The New England Senate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is among the plaintiffs, reflecting broad concern among faith groups.
Church lawyers in Maine say they expect months of litigation and caution congregations to keep records of any contact with officers. For many pastors, the immediate focus is simpler: keep services open, give plain information, and connect frightened families to legal help.
The broader policy landscape has shifted as well. Faith organizations in Maine are urging federal leaders to expand humanitarian programs even as enforcement rises. They support:
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for countries in crisis
- Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) in limited cases
- Careful use of humanitarian parole
Many have also spoken against mass deportations and larger detention systems, saying those measures would separate families and drain local economies. Their message to Washington is consistent: keep churches open and safe while longer-term reforms are debated.
Maine congregations say the suspension of federal refugee admissions on January 27, 2025 has compounded pressure on local aid groups, which now see more walk-in requests for food, housing help, and legal referrals. While limited exceptions exist, church outreach teams say fewer new arrivals are entering formal pipelines and more people find themselves in legal limbo.
That uncertainty makes planning harder for small parishes with modest budgets. Leaders describe juggling Sunday worship, pantry hours, and complex immigration questions that used to flow through national resettlement partners.
Political divide
- Supporters of the rollback under President Trump argue that consistent enforcement requires fewer exceptions and more flexibility in the field.
- Opponents, including many faith leaders, say the absence of clear lines at sensitive locations invites uneven practices that erode trust.
In Maine, officials and clergy are trying to keep the debate grounded in daily life: keeping children safe at youth group, ensuring elders can take communion, and making sure a ride home from church is not a risk.
Resource coordination and next steps
Amid the shift, resource-sharing has become constant. The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations circulates biweekly immigration updates and convenes a Migration Response Network with monthly meetings.
Denominational offices and the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition are partnering on trainings, toolkits, and rapid communications lists. Churches say they will keep hospitality at the center even as they plan for enforcement. The aim is steady: welcome people, protect dignity, and give clear facts.
Whether court rulings restore parts of the old policy or not, that careful, steady work will continue. For now, Maine churches will keep adapting to a policy that scraps formal ‘sensitive locations’ lines and relies on agent judgment.
As immigration enforcement evolves, faith leaders say they’ll watch courts and keep communities informed, week by week.
