In January, several Quaker meetings filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over a change in policy that authorizes ICE agents to breach the sanctuary of places of worship to detain suspected undocumented peoples. For Rebecca Leuchak, the presiding clerk of New England Yearly Meeting, joining that lawsuit is not a political position.
“I see it as an affirmation and a very positive reinforcement of constitutional rights that this country is founded on,” Rebecca says, rights “that ensure the freedom of expression of religion, the freedom to associate, to bring communities of faith together without penalty. . . . It really speaks to all of our testimonies,” she adds. “It’s core to who we are historically as a religious society.”
Friends Journal has been monitoring the lawsuit’s progress; read our coverage at Friendsjournal.org/quakers-sue-dhs.
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Produced by Layla Cuthrell
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