Trump v. CASA, Inc.

On June 27, 2025, former President Donald Trump filed a civil lawsuit against CASA, Inc., a Maryland-based immigrant advocacy nonprofit, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The complaint alleged that CASA’s sanctuary policies, including advising immigrants to not open doors to ICE agents and providing legal aid, constituted a conspiracy to violate federal immigration laws under the civil RICO statute and tortious interference. Trump sought monetary damages and an injunction to halt the organization’s activities. CASA responded that its actions were protected by the First Amendment and that Trump lacked standing, having suffered no concrete injury. The case represented a direct legal confrontation between the Trump movement and immigrant rights groups.

The case was dismissed for lack of standing in early 2026, with the court ruling that Trump failed to demonstrate a particularized personal injury distinct from any generalized grievance.

Whether Trump had standing to sue as a private citizen; whether CASA's counseling and advocacy were protected free speech and legal assistance under the First Amendment; and whether the RICO statute could be applied to a nonprofit's immigration-related activities.

The lawsuit intensified national polarization over immigration enforcement, raised concerns about a chilling effect on nonprofit legal aid groups, and triggered a wave of similar strategic lawsuits against other advocacy organizations, while fueling political fundraising and mobilizing both supporters and opponents of restrictive immigration policies.