National Immigration Law Center Factsheet: Rescission of Protected Areas Policies

On January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration rescinded a policy that protected certain areas—such as churches, schools, and hospitals—from immigration enforcement, replacing it with a directive that gives ICE agents unbridled power to take enforcement actions in any of these spaces. Protecting sensitive locations from immigration enforcement is essential to ensuring all our community members can access basic services and support without fear. This factsheet describes what the protected areas policy was, what laws apply to those areas now, and what steps advocates and communities can take to support immigrants in continuing to access critical community spaces and services.