By protecting sensitive locations such as churches, schools, and hospitals, we ensure that all community members can access basic services without fear of deportation. This policy dissuades immigrant communities from accessing essential health care services, further exacerbating health inequities for the most vulnerable communities.
Department of Homeland Security
An internal instruction issued by a government agency outlining policies, procedures, or actions to be followed by agency employees. While not legally binding outside the agency, these directives guide agency operations and decision-making.
Who It Impacts: Employees and divisions within the issuing federal agency. These directives guide how staff enforce regulations, allocate resources, and interpret laws. They may also affect industries regulated by the agency.
Who Is Not Impacted: The general public and businesses are not directly bound by agency directives, though these policies may indirectly influence enforcement practices that affect them.
Date Enacted
January 20, 2025
Last Updated
March 24, 2025
Policy Type
Healthcare Delivery, Services & Quality
Immigrant Health
Summary
This directive rescinds the Biden Administration’s guidelines for ICE and CBP enforcement actions that “thwart law enforcement in or near so-called ‘sensitive’ areas.” Essentially, this ends a Biden-era policy that protected certain areas—such as churches, school, and hospitals—from immigration enforcement, replacing it with an unreleased directive that gives ICE agents unbridled power to take enforcement actions in any of these spaces using so-called “common sense.”
Impact Analysis
Legal Challenges
- Article - Religious Groups Sue To Bar ICE Raids In Houses Of Worship
- Philadelphia Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends et al v. DHS (D. Md.) - complaint filed 1/27/25
- Mennonite Church USA et al v. DHS (D.D.C.) - complaint filed 2/11/25
- Organized Communities Against Deportations et al v. Benjamine Huffman (Acting Secretary of Homeland Security) et al (N.D. Ill.)
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