A federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday, October 20, revived a lawsuit by 27 religious organisations against the Trump administration's decision to allow immigration enforcement at churches and other houses of worship, according to Bloomberg Law and Courthouse News Service.

In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that the groups, led by Mennonite Church USA, have standing to challenge the January 2025 memo that rescinded earlier guidance restricting enforcement at 'sensitive locations' including churches, schools and hospitals. Judge Florence Pan, joined by Judge Robert Wilkins, wrote that the groups' members face a 'credible threat' of enforcement and that enforcement had already begun at or near congregations as a 'direct result' of the policy change. Judge Neomi Rao dissented, arguing the groups offered only speculation.

The decision reverses U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich's April 2025 denial of preliminary relief and sends the case back to her to decide again whether to block the policy for the plaintiffs while the suit goes forward. It does not itself restore the old limits.

Lead counsel Kelsi Brown Corkran of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection said the decision 'recognizes the real harm' imposed on religious communities and called it an important victory for the millions of people represented by the 27 denominations and organisations. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment, Bloomberg Law reported. The case is Mennonite Church USA v. DHS, D.C. Cir., No. 25-05209. Separate challenges are also pending in Maryland and Massachusetts, and the Fourth Circuit in August upheld a ruling barring operations at certain houses of worship that sued there — a group that included a Sikh temple in Sacramento, California.

For Punjabi and other diaspora congregations, including gurdwaras, the case matters because it will decide whether worshippers can again seek limits on enforcement in or near places of worship. No change takes effect from this ruling alone.

Sources: Bloomberg Law, 'Bid to Curb ICE Arrests at Churches Revived by Appeals Court', October 20, 2026; Courthouse News Service, reported via How Appealing, October 20, 2026.