Places of worship should always be seen as safe and welcoming and governed by the principle of love, seeking to comfort and restore.

That is why, last month, more than two dozen Christian, Jewish, and interfaith denominations and associations filed a lawsuit, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al., which challenges recent changes in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s “sensitive locations policy.”

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), with the local support and advocacy of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence (USNF), joined this filing. These decisions were made in light of recent federal orders to increase deportations and search for immigrants in schools and houses of worship.

On Jan. 20, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course on a policy that had been supported by presidential administrations of both parties for more than 30 years, thereby granting immigration agents the authority to make arrests in houses of worship, schools, and medical facilities. Before this order, ICE agents had long been banned from making arrests in sensitive locations, like churches, that offer solace and some level of protection for immigrants without legal status.

We now must do what we can to prevent this action. The lawsuit asserts that subjecting places of worship to ICE raids substantially impedes our religious freedom, in violation of the First Amendment and other protections.

At the heart of this lawsuit is our deep conviction that we have an obligation and religious mandate to welcome and serve all people, especially those among us who are most vulnerable. Currently, the people most vulnerable to federal actions include women seeking reproductive freedom, transgender people, and immigrants. The threat to these and other vulnerable groups increases daily.

Religious communities are uniquely positioned to focus on the long arc of history and call out injustice wherever it arises. Accordingly, we write this guest column as members of the Presidents Team of USNF. We call on our spiritual and community partners who likewise believe in keeping our sacred spaces sacred to continue working with us in opposing these efforts.

Together, we must continue to find ways to collaborate on efforts in which we, as a community, can offer protection and support to those who face oppression, violence, or separation from their kin. These times call on all of us to act and to live by our shared values.

Subjecting places of worship to ICE or other federal enforcement actions without a judicial warrant or the threat of imminent danger is not only a violation of our constitutional rights but also an act of tremendous cruelty. Such actions go against every major religious tenet to welcome the stranger and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Voicing one of the six fundamental values of Unitarian Universalism, “We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.” This is why we feel compelled to join this lawsuit.

In the past, our society provided shelter and sustenance to an immigrant who was in danger of deportation; in this effort, we received the support of partners from many other denominations in Northampton. Similar efforts occurred at like-minded United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations in Amherst and Springfield.

Currently, USNF is in a discernment process to assess how we might best assist the large numbers of people under threat by the new and increasingly harsh mandates of the current administration. The wave of executive actions targeting immigrants has moved us to consider what it means to offer support to those threatened immigrants and their families in this moment of upheaval.

Opposing oppression and building a more just world is a core calling of our faith, inspiring us to side with love and help those in greatest need. This year, USNF is celebrating 200 years of liberal religious thought and action, going back to abolitionists of the 19th century. The society is proud to belong to the UUA as a party to this interfaith suit against the change in the “sensitive locations policy.”

We join with other like-minded people of goodwill to not only protect the religious freedom of all who live in our country but also provide support to vulnerable people who seek it. For religious freedom to have any meaning in our society, all people — including immigrants — must feel safe when they worship and seek pastoral support.

For more information on the USNF and how you can join our efforts for social justice and action, visit the society’s website: www.uunorthampton.org/.

Emily Quintana of Northampton is president, Kate Kruckemeyer of Holyoke is vice president, and Stephanie Baird of South Hadley is past president of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence.