Minnesota Dem. Rep Leigh Finke is speaking out after a viral Facebook post where she encouraged more protests in churches and places of worship, which directly violates the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994.
Feinke, who has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023, praised the anti-ICE protestors who interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul on January 18. Protestors yelled phrases such as “ICE OUT” and accused a pastor of cooperating with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
Although Feinke noted that the incident caused “outrage,” she also seemingly mocked those who were angered and the “usual round of upset.”
“Actions like this — nonviolent resistance in the face of government inaction or oppression — are essential,” Finke wrote on January 19. “And they must continue until I.C.E. is out of our state, the administration is out of the White House, and dignity and humanity for all of our neighbors is achieved.”
These are the values of MN State Rep Leigh Finke.
She applauds the insurrectionists that stormed the church on Sunday.
She claims that these types of protests (scaring families with children) need to be more frequent so that ICE will leave Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/ThTzpw8f7n
— Jammles (@jammles9) January 20, 2026
The problem for Feinke, and anyone else who believes the protestors were justified in their actions, is that they may have broken the law. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is investigating the protesters for potentially violating the FACE Act, which prohibits protesters from using force against, obstructing, or attempting to intimidate anyone operating at reproductive health clinics or places of worship.
As of January 21, none of the protestors have been arrested or charged.
In a follow-up post, Feinke criticized Minnesota Republicans and the “rightwing media apparatus” and suggested that they misunderstood her point.
“Nonviolent resistance is, by design, uncomfortable. Disquieting. Upsetting,” Feinke wrote before citing Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Make no mistake: ICE is arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens—gang members, murderers, rapists, and drug dealers—removing them from our streets. The brave men and women of ICE are true patriots.
The raid at the church in Minnesota was horrible and… pic.twitter.com/kMGRRwcDAb
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 20, 2026
“So when I praised a protest, when I invoked the power of the ACT UP protest at St Patrick’s, when I reminded folks about King’s own tradition of protest, I should have realized it would be controversial,” Feinke added. “Any challenge to the status quo is controversy for those who spend days in comfort.”
Feinke is correct that protests can be uncomfortable. However, there is a clear difference between the peaceful anti-ICE protests that have occurred in Minneapolis for a month and knowingly breaking the law to prove a point. Holding a sign and chanting about how ICE must leave Minneapolis is legal. Storming into a church, or any place of worship, to make the same protests is illegal.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon live-streamed Sunday’s anti-ICE protest, and videos clearly show protestors engaging with churchgoers. Lemon spoke with one pastor who asked Lemon and the protestors to leave.
Leigh, who is also an author, became the first openly transgender legislator elected to the Minnesota Legislature. According to her Facebook page, her platform is based on fighting for, among other things, bodily autonomy, transgender rights, and climate justice.
