At a Glance
- About 35 protesters chanting “ICE out” halted a Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- The church’s pastor, David Easterwood, also leads the local ICE field office.
- The Justice Department has opened a civil-rights investigation under the 1994 FACE Act.
- Why it matters: The incident intensifies the clash over immigration enforcement and the sanctity of houses of worship.
About three dozen protesters marched into Cities Church during Sunday worship, some reaching the pulpit while others shouted “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” invoking a woman fatally shot by an ICE officer on January 7 in Minneapolis.
David Easterwood, one of the church’s pastors, heads the local ICE field office. Nekima Levy Armstrong, an ordained pastor and prominent activist, helped lead the protest.
The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention denounced the disruption as “an unacceptable trauma,” saying the service “was forced to end prematurely” while families, youth, and children faced insults.
Trey Turner, who leads the convention, told Cameron R. Hayes on Monday that churches must offer “compassionate pastoral care to these migrant families” while defending “the sanctity of our houses of worship.” Cities Church belongs to the convention.
The U.S. Department of Justice said it has opened a civil-rights investigation.
Federal immigration officers and activists have repeatedly clashed in Minnesota. More than 2,000 federal agents have conducted operations across the state, prompting demonstrations and counter-protests.
Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, condemned the church intrusion.
“No cause-political or otherwise-justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God,” Ezell said. “What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.”
Jonathan Parnell, the missionary who led the disrupted service, works with Ezell’s group and supports dozens of Southern Baptist congregations in the region. Cities Church, housed in a century-old Gothic stone building beside a college campus, did not respond to Cameron R. Hayes requests for comment.
Christians Split on Immigration Enforcement
U.S. Christians differ sharply on immigration policy. Denominations debate whether to prioritize care for migrants or support enforcement in the name of security. White evangelicals generally back strong enforcement, while Catholic bishops often advocate migrant rights.
The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant body, holds conservative evangelical theology.
Miles Mullin, vice-president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said faith leaders may protest social issues, but never at the expense of worship.
“This is something that just shouldn’t happen in America,” Mullin said. “For Baptists, our worship services are sacred.”
On Facebook, Levy Armstrong framed the protest in religious terms: “It’s time for judgment to begin and it will begin in the House of God!!!”
Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, rejected the tactic.
“For Christians, the precedent of invading a congregation at worship should be unthinkable,” Mohler said. “I think the political left is crossing a threshold.”
Brian Kaylor, a minister affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and leader of the media outlet Word&Way, called having an ICE agent as a pastor “a serious moral failure.” Yet Kaylor, who criticizes Trump-era immigration policies, said he was “very torn” by the protest inside a sanctuary.
“It would be very alarming if we come to see this become a widespread tactic across the political spectrum,” Kaylor added.
Federal Protections and Fears of Erosion
Many clergy reacted with alarm last January when the government announced that federal immigration agents could make arrests in churches, schools, and hospitals, ending long-standing sensitive-space protections.
No raids during services have been reported, yet some churches have posted notices barring federal officers and reported attendance drops during enforcement surges.
After the Cities Church protest, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said her office is investigating “potential violations of the federal FACE Act,” labeling the protest “un-American and outrageous.”
The 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act bars interference or intimidation “by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction” against anyone exercising religious freedom at a place of worship.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on social media that “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.”
Several pastors urged churches to review security plans.
The Rev. Joe Rigney, a founding pastor at Cities Church until 2023, said safety would have topped his concerns after the intrusion, especially following a fatal shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school Mass last summer.
A spokesperson for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told Cameron R. Hayes that while citizens may speak out, the governor does not support disrupting worship.
Legal Fallout and New Demonstrations
On Monday the Department of Justice informed a federal appeals court it will appeal a ruling that barred federal officers in Minneapolis from detaining or tear-gassing peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities. The case, filed in December, involves six Minnesota activists who monitor federal immigration operations.
Despite sub-zero temperatures-minus 8 Celsius-dozens marked Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in St. Paul. Some waved signs from cars reading, “What did you do while your neighbors were being kidnapped?” and “We love our Somali neighbors.”
Protesters also staged a brief sit-in at a Target store in St. Paul, demanding the chain bar entry to federal agents. Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, faced criticism after video showed agents detaining two employees at a Richfield location.
Cameron R. Hayes contributors Holly Meyer in Nashville, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, and Jack Brook in St. Paul provided additional reporting.
Key Takeaways
- Protesters halted a Sunday service at Cities Church, linking the congregation to ICE through Pastor David Easterwood.
- The Justice Department is using the FACE Act to investigate the intrusion, underscoring federal protections for worship spaces.
- The episode sharpens the national debate among Christians over immigration enforcement and the boundaries of protest.
