Mennonite Church USA on Feb. 11 joined two dozen Christian and Jewish groups filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a ban on immigration raids in houses of worship.

The suit, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al., was filed by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law on behalf of the groups in federal district court in Washington, D.C.

Lawsuits are typically named after the first plaintiff to sign on.

The faith groups — including the Church of the Brethren, the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church USA, Friends General Council, Unitarian Universalist Association and several United Methodist bodies — claim the decision to rescind the ban on raids in sensitive locations, such as churches, hospitals and schools, interferes with their religious beliefs and freedoms.

The plaintiffs contend mass deportation plans interfere with their ability to fulfill their mandate to welcome and serve immigrants.

“The extreme actions of our government call us to step up as we recognize that our practice of loving our neighbor outweighs our traditional stance of nonresistance,” said Iris de León-Hartshorn, MC USA associate executive director of operations, in a denominational release. “Today, we stand together as followers of Jesus, shaped by his life and teachings as revealed in scripture, honoring the cloud of witnesses that stood before us against state interference in the right of religious freedom during the Radical Reformation.”

De León-Hartshorn is a member of the Latino Christian National Network. She contacted the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection to express interest in legal action after the institute gave a presentation at a network meeting. MC USA’s Executive Board strongly endorsed moving forward, and ICAP pulled the coalition together.

The lawsuit expands on arguments made in a similar suit filed Jan. 27 by five Quaker congregations, who were joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple.

Plaintiffs in the Feb. 11 suit represent a diverse coalition of American worshipers, including more than 1 million followers of Reform Judaism, an estimated 1.5 million Episcopalians, nearly 1.1 million Presbyterians and an estimated 1.5 million members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“They have come together to file this suit because their scripture, teaching and traditions offer irrefutable unanimity on their religious obligation to embrace and serve the refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants in their midst without regard to documentation or legal status,” said lead council Kelsi Corkran in MC USA’s release. 

“The Department of Homeland Security’s abrupt decision to rescind the sensitive locations policy and subject places of worship to immigration enforcement action is a clear violation of plaintiffs’ rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”

The plaintiffs say their houses of worship host food banks, meal programs, homeless shelters and support services for undocumented people who might now be fearful of participating.

In the suit, MC USA specifically “renounces the indifference to and mistreatment of undocumented and documented immigrants and commits itself to joining God’s reconciling mission and to living and acting as sisters and brothers in Christ regardless of legal status.”

The Church of the Brethren stated it “has continually prioritized loving enemies, welcoming the stranger and acting in ways that promote the well-being of all and help those in need or who have been marginalized. Consistent with those beliefs, COB expresses its deep concern for the plight of refugees and immigrants, both undocumented and documented, and advocates for just and humane immigration policies.”

Bishop W. Darin Moore of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church said in a statement: “Unannounced raids into our sanctuaries and other church spaces presents very real danger to both our members and our communities, most of whom are Black and Brown people.”

An Episcopal Church spokesperson said: “We joined the suit because Episcopal congregations across the United States have already seen decreased attendance at worship services and social service ministries due to fears of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] actions. In some places, even congregants with documented legal status are choosing to stay home for fear they may be mistakenly arrested based on their appearance.”

Other faith groups, including the U.S. Catholic bishops and the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, have condemned the Trump administration’s action but not taken legal action. 

Mennonite Church USA and Religion News Service contributed to this report.