The number of sanctuary congregations using churches to help shield undocumented immigrants from deportation has doubled since Donald Trump s election to 800, a coalition of religious leaders said Tuesday.

The group of faith leaders attributed the rapid growth in their numbers to the anti-immigrant sentiment that characterized Trumps presidential campaign. The largely Christian movement led by the Church World Service, the PICO National Network, United We Dream, the Advancement Project and Groundswell also announced plans to work more closely with the Islamic community in response to Trumps call to restrict Muslims from traveling to the United States.

Congregations have been knocking down our doors, Rev. Noel Andersen of the Church World Service said on a call with reporters. We expect more because of the outcry from our congregations that weve heard.

Churches began working on a large scale to protect Central American immigrants from deportation during the civil wars of the 1980s, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed into the United States fleeing violence.