The Reverend Kaji Douša, the senior pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church of New York, which is affiliated with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Disciples of Christ, was unfairly pursued by the United States government because he conducted a ministry that helped migrants and refugees at the Mexican border.
However, the pastor was victorious in a legal battle against government officials she accused of interfering with her ministry to migrants and refugees.
Reverend Kaji Douša Wins Lawsuit Against U.S. Government
A report from the Christian Post stated that U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson, who was appointed to his position by President Donald Trump, concluded in a ruling that was issued last week that border patrol officials “unlawfully retaliated against” Douša for exercising her rights under the First Amendment, “violated her Free Exercise right to minister to migrants in Mexico,” and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Robinson’s ruling was issued on all three counts.
Douša stated that she was grateful for Judge Robinson’s sound, fair, and just verdict in her interview with the Religion News Service. The method taken by the government, which included stalling, gaslighting, and even lying, was found by the court to be unconvincing, and she was overjoyed at the dismissal. “Judge Robinson cleared my good name, and I give thanks to God for that,” she added.
The case occurred in January 2019, during the administration of former President Donald Trump, when Douša was stopped and questioned by federal officials for approximately an hour and a half while crossing from Tijuana, Mexico, back into the United States. One of the numerous similar faith-based initiatives at the time aimed to assist migrants, Doua had been taking part in a “Sanctuary Caravan” for the previous forty days, which helped Central American asylum-seekers on the Mexican side of the border.
Two months later, an NBC affiliate in San Diego published documents from a secret database maintained by the United States government of activists, journalists, and others connected to the migrant caravan: Douša’s name and a photo of her with a yellow “X” drawn across her face. According to the records, the pastor’s SENTRI permit had been cancelled, which would have allowed him expedited screening along the Southwest border of the United States and Mexico.
In the end, Douša filed a lawsuit against the government, beginning a drawn-out legal battle lasting more than three and a half years. During the litigation, further records were uncovered that provided evidence that the United States government had spied on and probed Douša because of her activities, at one point even linking her to Antifa.
Lawsuit Filed Against U.S. Immigration Officials
The Washington Post reported that Rev. Kaji Douša filed a lawsuit against U.S. immigration officials in July 2019, claiming that putting her on a watch list and surveilling her violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as her First Amendment right to conduct her ministry, which included officiating at marriage ceremonies for migrants at the border.
As mentioned, Douša also asked the federal court to sanction immigration officials, arguing that they offered “false or at best misleading” accounts in response to a lawsuit and put her in danger of being arrested in Mexico under pretences while she helped asylum seekers. The court granted her request to sanction immigration officials. She stated that the individuals “consistently misled or withheld information.”
Related Article: Win for Religious Liberty in Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Bowser
A strong ruling from a San Diego federal judge that federal agents violated Rev. Kaji Dousa’s civil rights and retaliated against her for protected 1st Amendment activity. @Alex_Riggins
with the story, and kudos to @nbcsandiego: https://t.co/6Ou4TMX5Wo
— Kristina Davis (@kristinadavis) March 23, 2023