Aspiring CBP Officer Sues U.S. Government Over Religious Ayahuasca Use
Juliana Reis, a member of the Ayahuasca church União do Vegetal (UDV) – which is one of the few churches that has fought all the way up to the Supreme Court to have their religious right to use Ayahuasca as a sacrament (and won) – is suing the government to protect her own religious rights.
Ms. Reis contends that after she was given a provisional job offer to become a CBP officer, it was promptly withdrawn when she revealed her religious use of Ayahuasca during a pre-employment polygraph exam. So she’s now filing suit, specifically singling out Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem.
The Division of Homeland Security (DHS), of which Customs & Border Protection is a part of, considers Ayahuasca use within the last 3 years to be disqualifying, but this directly conflicts with the Supreme Court’s 2006 ruling that all UDV members have a protected religious right to use Ayahuasca as a religious sacrament.
Kevin Owen – one of the lawyers representing Reis – said that UDV’s ayahuasca use is a “bona fide” spiritual custom, and that the Trump administration has professed a strong commitment to religious accommodation, which is what Ms. Reis is now seeking after being rejected by CBP under the Biden administration
In May, Trump issued an executive order establishing a so-called Religious Liberty Commission “to vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law.”
“The Founders envisioned a Nation in which religious voices and views are integral to a vibrant public square and human flourishing and in which religious people and institutions are free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or hostility from the Government.”
Owen pointed out that although some religious liberty cases aren’t black-and-white, this one is pretty open-and-shut.
And of course neither CBP nor Secretary Noem’s office responded to requests for comment.
I think we can all look forward to the outcome in this one, though it could be years in the making.
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