The ICE situation continues to escalate in Minnesota, as the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church service in St. Paul. Dozens of protesters entered Cities Church, chanting “ICE out!” and forcing the service to stop.
According to the protesters, they were demonstrating against David Easterwood, a pastor at the church who is also the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office. Commenting on the incident, Nekima Levy Armstrong, an activist and former NAACP president, said, “I don’t know how anyone who claims to be Christian could condone his behavior and the dual nature of the roles that he plays.”
Armstrong also added, “The objective of disrupting service was to inform the congregation of what they described as their pastor’s double-mindedness when it comes to the word of God and not loving thy neighbor with his work as a field director for ICE.”
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However, the DOJ swiftly announced a probe into the protesters within hours of the incident. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the protesters were “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.” Attorney General Pam Bondi also commented on the incident, posting on X, “If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
Explaining what happened, the St. Paul Police Department told ABC News in a statement, “At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Sun., Jan. 18, Saint Paul Police officers responded to Cities Church on the 1500 block of Summit Ave. following multiple calls reporting approximately 30 to 40 protesters who interrupted church services.”
The statement further added, “By the time officers arrived on scene, the group had moved outside the church and began to walk down the alley. Saint Paul Police continued to monitor the protest.” A St. Paul police spokesperson also said in a statement that authorities are “actively investigating this incident as a disorderly conduct investigation.”
It should be noted that last week, the ACLU filed a lawsuit naming Easterwood and Kristi Noem, among others, alleging “unlawful policies and practices” carried out by ICE in Minnesota, including arrests without warrants or probable cause, as well as racial profiling.
I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.
If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 19, 2026
Minnesota has already been making headlines following an ICE agent’s fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, whom the Trump administration has been trying their best to portray as a “domestic terrorist” despite realistic evidence suggesting the complete opposite. While the administration claims that Nicole had attempted to run the agent over and thus he reacted in self-defense, video footage of the incident shows that the woman was turning away from the agent and yet she got shot, thrice.
With ICE-related violence erupting almost every other day in Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are being blamed by the agency, as they are claiming that these two “are responsible for whipping these mobs into a frenzy and then allowing them to run rampant.”
However, it should be noted that both Frey and Walz have always requested the citizens to engage in peaceful protests and never encouraged any kind of violence. It is ICE that keeps breaking several ethical and sometimes legal rules, which is leading to disruption and chaos in the twin cities.
