Inmaculada García-Sánchez used to conduct research at a Los Angeles church, where the gates were open to all.

But the church now looks like a fortress, she said. To get in, you have to call on an intercom and enter in a code.

García-Sánchez, both a professor of education in social research methodology and an associate director of the Center for the Study of International Migration, said she noticed this shift in January – the month President Donald Trump came into office.

Trump has promised to crack down on immigration, calling for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. A federal judge sided with the Trump administration in determining that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement can conduct raids on religious buildings April 11.

“This actually goes against a history not just of centuries but also of millennia. Of churches – and not just churches – but other places of worship, being places of sanctuary,” García-Sánchez said.

Over two dozen Christian and Jewish groups have filed multiple federal lawsuits against the Trump administration following Judge Dabney Friedrich’s ruling, arguing that ICE raids on religious buildings violate the groups’ rights to practice their religion freely.

Robert Chao Romero, an ordained minister who assisted in drafting a declaration for one of the parties in a lawsuit challenging the decision, said the ruling violates principles taught in Christianity, which emphasize providing help and hospitality for immigrants.

“The government is stopping me from being able to be a Christian, because fundamentally, as a Christian, I have to care for the poor and the marginalized – and this law interferes with that,” said Chao Romero, an associate professor of Chicana/o studies at UCLA.

Adam Dawkins, a reverend and the rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Westwood, said his church is “disturbed” by the Trump administration’s policy.

“We always want people to feel safe and welcome when they come here to worship, or even come on this property – and we always want to be able to offer that kind of safety and hospitality to people,” he said. “That’s who we are, and right now that feels jeopardized to us.”

Even though Chao Romero said the policy jeopardizes his ability to practice his religion, Georgia Wyess, a fourth-year political science student and member of St. Alban’s Church, said she did not find the ruling surprising.

“Considering that we are currently a monochromatic government with a red executive, Senate, House and Supreme Court, I was fully expecting that the judges would side with Donald Trump on this,” she said.

Churches like St. Alban’s have partnerships with UCLA that span nearly a century, Dawkins said. He added that he hopes UCLA will continue supporting St. Alban’s.

However, García-Sánchez said she believes that on the whole, UCLA’s plan of action is not comprehensive enough in its support of undocumented students and community members.

“We haven’t seen a lot of comprehensive, proactive responsiveness to the administration’s new policies,” García-Sánchez said. “I don’t have a lot of hope that they would feel they would have a lot of responsibility to support the churches and other places of worship or religious organizations.”

Places of worship such as St. Alban’s are working on creating plans if ICE came to them, Dawkins said.

Chao Romero said church boards ought to meet and determine which areas of their building are public or private. If ICE wants to search what church officials determine to be a private area, they are compelled by law to present a judicial warrant, he said, allowing churches to protect their congregations when challenged by immigration enforcement.

Chao Romero added that the scapegoating of immigrant groups has gone on too long – and that these practices are immoral.

“My heart breaks for immigrant students at UCLA, whether they be international students, whether they be students with immigrant families at UCLA,” he said. “My heart breaks, and I just hope that UCLA will rise to the occasion and support students.”