A Sunday morning church service in the Twin Cities interrupted by anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters is the latest flash point in escalating tensions between the Trump administration and demonstrators in Minnesota.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, announced an investigation within hours, calling the protesters’ actions “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
“Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted to X late Sunday night.
Dozens of people rushed into Cities Church in St. Paul Sunday morning, interrupting the church service and leading to tense confrontations, videos posted by activists and content creators show. The Saint Paul Police Department said it responded after receiving multiple calls reporting up to 40 protesters in the church.
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The demonstrators said they were there to protest David Easterwood, who is listed as a pastor at the church and appears to be the same David Easterwood who is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities. He was recently named as a defendant in a case brought by protesters who allege immigration agents had violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights.
“David Easterwood, out now!” protesters yelled at one point.
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President Donald Trump has sharply condemned the anti‑ICE protest, describing the demonstrators as “agitators and insurrectionists” and accusing them of being “highly trained” to sow disorder.
“Just watched footage of the Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists. These people are professionals! No person acts the way they act. They are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing,” Trump said on his Truth Social early Tuesday. “They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country,” he went on to say.
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In announcing the federal investigation, Dhillon cited the FACE Act, a federal law that “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to … exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
She reiterated the Justice Department is pursuing federal charges in a post on social media Monday. She said federal officials must first obtain a warrant before making arrests.
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Former CNN anchor Don Lemon said he was present at the demonstration as a journalist and not as a protester after Department of Justice officials suggested he could face charges soon.
“We will pursue charges,” Dhillon said during an interview about the protest with conservative influencer Benny Johnson. She continued, saying Lemon could not use his role as a journalist as a “shield.”
“Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility. He went into the facility, and then he began, quote, unquote, committing journalism,” she said.
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The post Trump Officials Investigate Protesters Who Interrupted Minnesota Church Service, Targeting ICE Official appeared first on American Renaissance.
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