Anti-ICE Mob Storms Church: DOJ Probes FACE Act Violations

This Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, a downright shameful and unlawful assault on religious freedoms took place as members of the Racial Justice Network, along with allied activists, stormed into the sanctuary during an ongoing worship service.

Whilst the congregation sat quietly in their pews, the mob entered the building and began chanting slogans like “ICE out!” and “Justice for Renee Good.” These actions not only disrupted the service and ended it prematurely but it caused immense distress to those peacefully gathering for church.

In no reasonable measure were these the acts of peaceful expression. To put it plainly, this demonstration was intimidation inside a sacred space and it was all covered by former CNN anchor Don Lemon who livestreamed the incident, following the protesters inside and engaging directly with church leadership in a way that amplified the chaos.

The group’s stated excuse for invading the church was their belief that one of the pastors, David Easterwood, also serves as the acting field office director for U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota. They claimed this connection made the church complicit in “harboring” someone allegedly responsible for aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, including the recent fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent.

As Nekima Levy Armstrong, a key organizer and attorney with the Racial Justice Network, told Lemon during his livestream: “This cannot be a house of God while harboring someone directing ICE agents to wreak havoc on our community.” This rationale, while rooted in their opposition to federal immigration policies, doesn’t begin to justify barging into a private religious service to shout accusations and halt worship.

Even more troubling was Don Lemon’s on-site behavior. As protesters chanted and disrupted the service, Lemon confronted the lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell, lecturing him on First Amendment rights and appearing to defend the intruders’ actions.

Parnell responded by calling the interruption “shameful” and urging non-worshippers to leave, emphasizing that the church was there to worship Jesus.

Lemon’s attempts to frame the disruption as protected speech ignored the reality: houses of worship are not public forums for protests, and federal law explicitly protects them from such interference.

Central to organizing this action was Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney, former law professor, and founder of the Racial Justice Network which is a grassroots group focused on racial justice issues in the Twin Cities, including protests and community outreach. Armstrong, who describes herself as an ordained reverend in addition to her legal background, participated directly in the event and spoke to media about it.

Armstrong’s Racial Justice Network has collaborated with groups like Black Lives Matter Minnesota and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities in organizing demonstrations, including this church protest. As a trained lawyer, Armstrong is well aware of statutes governing protest conduct, yet she actively helped plan and execute an action that involved entering a place of worship to interfere with ongoing religious exercise, conduct that directly contravenes federal protections.

This incident violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act (18 U.S.C. § 248), a federal law that prohibits using force, threats of force, or physical obstruction to intentionally injure, intimidate, or interfere with someone exercising their religious beliefs at a place of worship. This law applies symmetrically to protect houses of worship from disruptions. Examples of violations in this case include:

• Physically entering the sanctuary uninvited during services and chanting slogans, which obstructed and intimidated congregants (including families with children) from continuing worship.
• Using noise (chants, whistles in some reports) and presence to halt the service, preventing the pastor and attendees from exercising their First Amendment rights to religious assembly without interference.
• Creating an environment of intimidation that terrorized worshippers, as described in reports of children crying and congregants fleeing, actions that meet the statute’s criteria for intentional interference through physical obstruction or intimidation.

The U.S. Department of Justice swiftly opened an investigation into potential FACE Act violations, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stating that officials are examining the “desecration of a house of worship and interference with Christian worshippers,” alongside possible related crimes. The FBI has also been activated.

This stunt sets a dangerous precedent which, if left unchecked, could inspire similar invasions of churches or any places of worship. Thankfully, our leaders took swift actions towards justice because they understand that this behavior and actions cannot become normalized tactics for political grievances.

Eroding the sanctity of religious spaces and constitutional protections cannot become common practice in America. Religious liberty demands that services remain free from forcible disruption, regardless of the cause.

The Racial Justice Network’s actions, amplified by Lemon’s involvement, crossed clear legal and moral lines. Accountability under the FACE Act for those who were involved isn’t optional but essential to preserving the freedom to worship in peace.

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