Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 19 August 2026

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Fourth Circuit Blocks ICE From Arresting Criminal Illegal Aliens in Churches

Two recent articles highlight growing tensions between immigration enforcement and faith-based organizations, while also demonstrating how religious groups are becoming involved in oversight and advocacy surrounding immigration policy. On August 18, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a preliminary injunction restricting ICE and CBP enforcement actions at eight houses of worship affiliated with Quaker, Sikh, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship organizations. The court found that the policy changes likely imposed a substantial burden on religious exercise under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The decision leaves the prior protected-area guidelines in place for those specific congregations, although it does not create a nationwide prohibition on immigration enforcement at houses of worship. Exceptions remain for warrants, national-security threats, imminent risks of death or physical harm, hot pursuit, and other exigent circumstances.

Separately, Faithful America, a Christian advocacy organization, asked Sen. Ron Wyden to conduct congressional oversight of a planned 528-bed ICE facility for families and unaccompanied children at England Airpark in Louisiana. The group’s July 31 letter was signed by 20,000 members and raised concerns about the facility’s planned operator, LaSalle Family Foundation, the nonprofit arm of private prison company LaSalle Corrections. The article notes that two detainees have died since April at another LaSalle-run Louisiana facility. Wyden called the proposed facility a potential “black box location” with “no oversight and no accountability” and pledged to “closely watchdog this new proposed facility.” The reporting also indicates that Compass Connections, which had initially been involved, received more than $38 million in federal funding in FY2026 and more than $1.6 billion over the previous three years for unaccompanied children’s care.

Analyst Comments: These developments are relevant to faith-based organizations because immigration enforcement can affect worship attendance, community outreach, and perceptions of safety, particularly for congregations serving immigrant populations. The court decision also demonstrates that protections and enforcement authorities can vary based on the circumstances and applicable legal requirements.

Faith-based organizations should consider the following:

• Establish clear procedures for responding to law enforcement activity
• Identify appropriate leadership and legal contacts
• Ensure staff and volunteers understand how to handle requests for access or information
• Monitor relevant policy changes
• Maintain communication with local law enforcement, legal counsel, and community partners

Having these processes established in advance can help organizations respond consistently while minimizing disruption to normal operations.

Reported Crimes in the Nation Quick Stats

The FBI’s 2025 Reported Crimes in the Nation data show that crime declined across major categories in 2025. An estimated 1,119,768 violent crimes occurred nationwide, a 9.3% decrease from 2024, while property crime declined 12.4% to an estimated 5.25 million offenses. Murder decreased 18.1%, robbery 18.5%, rape 7.6%, and aggravated assault 7.2%. Aggravated assault remained the largest category of violent crime, accounting for 72.6% of violent offenses, while firearms were involved in 72.3% of murders and 30.6% of aggravated assaults. Property crime was dominated by larceny-theft, which represented 74.5% of property offenses; the FBI also estimated 661,800 burglaries and 31,897 reported arsons in 2025.

Analyst Comments: The overall decline in crime is encouraging, but the data indicate that violence, burglary, theft, and arson remain relevant security concerns for faith-based organizations. Houses of worship frequently have large gatherings, valuable property, and periods when facilities are unoccupied, creating opportunities for crimes such as theft, burglary, vandalism, and arson. The continued prevalence of firearms in violent crime also reinforces the importance of preparedness for incidents involving weapons.

Faith-based organizations can use these trends to review existing security measures, identify vulnerabilities, and tailor preparedness to their local crime environment. Practical measures include maintaining functioning exterior lighting and cameras, reviewing access controls, securing valuables, establishing emergency communication procedures, conducting staff and volunteer training, and maintaining relationships with local law enforcement. Organizations can also use local crime data rather than national statistics alone when determining which threats require the greatest attention.

Weekly Security Sprint EP 170. NK IT Worker Scams, Blended Attacks, and the Weatherman!

The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.

In this week’s Weekly Security Sprint Dave and Andy discuss operation vital signs: First-of-its-kind exercise stress tests health sector cyber resilience, North Korea IT worker threat, blended threats, and severe weather.

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).