- Attorney General Pam Bondi indicted 30 additional people for disrupting a St. Paul church service.
- Total defendants reached 39 in what is one of the largest federal protest prosecutions recently.
- The protest targeted a pastor who also serves as a senior ICE enforcement director.
(ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on February 27, 2026, that federal prosecutors indicted 30 additional people over a protest that disrupted a January 18 service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bondi’s announcement brought the total number charged in the case to 39, expanding what began with nine original defendants into one of the largest federal protest prosecutions tied to a Twin Cities church and immigration enforcement.
The protest at Cities Church targeted pastor David Easterwood, who also serves as the Acting Field Office Director for ICE in St. Paul, drawing national attention to the overlap between a house of worship and a senior immigration enforcement role.
Federal authorities described the January 18 incident as a serious disruption inside a house of worship, saying it interfered with religious exercise and raised safety concerns for congregants trying to attend services.
In a social media statement dated February 27, 2026, Bondi framed the case in sweeping terms. “YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, issued an official statement on January 18, 2026, emphasizing that federal law protects religious services from disruption. “A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!”
ICE also portrayed the protest as part of a broader targeting of federal law enforcement, linking it to demonstrations across the region. “Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too. They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans,” the agency said in an official statement on January 18, 2026.
A federal affidavit signed by DHS Special Agent Timothy Gerber described what investigators say unfolded inside the church. Gerber stated that “30-40 people disrupted the religious service and intimidated, harassed, oppressed, and terrorized the parishioners, including young children. forcing parishioners to flee the church out of a side door.”
Prosecutors charged the defendants under two federal statutes that, in general terms, address interference with protected rights and disruptions of religious worship. One count cites the conspiracy statute, 18 U.S.C. § 241, which prosecutors are using to allege a coordinated effort to violate the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.
The second charge cites 18 U.S.C. § 247, a federal law that criminalizes injuring, intimidating, or interfering with religious exercise at a place of worship. Authorities described it as a prosecution under the FACE Act framework, which has been used in a range of cases involving interference with protected religious exercise.
The case sits at the indictment stage, a formal accusation that initiates felony proceedings in federal court. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Federal agents had taken 25 of the 30 newly charged individuals into custody as of February 27, 2026, authorities said. The remaining custody status and timing of initial court appearances for each defendant were not described in the public summary.
Public attention has also centered on journalists and activists named among the defendants, including independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. Both have pleaded not guilty, saying they attended to cover the event as members of the press.
Another defendant, Nekima Levy Armstrong, was identified as a prominent civil rights attorney charged in the case. The White House reportedly shared a doctored photo of her crying during her arrest, which sparked backlash from civil rights groups.
Charging allegations also described how congregants experienced the disruption, including claims involving children inside the sanctuary. The indictment alleges children were left “to wonder. if their parents were going to die” during the incident.
A female congregant has also filed a separate federal lawsuit for emotional trauma, adding a civil case alongside the criminal prosecutions. The timing and status of that lawsuit were not detailed in the public summary.
The January 18 protest occurred during Operation Metro Surge, described by the government as a large-scale federal immigration enforcement effort in the Twin Cities area. The White House said in a press release on February 4, 2026, that the operation resulted in over 4,000 arrests in Minnesota before its scheduled wind-down in mid-February, in a statement titled New Milestone in Operation Metro Surge (Feb 4, 2026).
Protest messaging also referenced the fatal shooting of Renee Good, who was described as 37 years old when an ICE officer shot her in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. Protesters at the church were heard chanting “Justice for Renee Good,” citing Easterwood’s leadership role in the agency connected to the shooting.
The case also unfolded amid controversy over enforcement near churches and other traditionally protected spaces. The protest followed a Trump administration policy change that ended the decades-old practice of regarding churches as “sensitive locations” exempt from immigration enforcement actions, an issue that has heightened tensions between immigration agencies and some community groups.
In Minnesota and beyond, the prosecutions have rippled through immigrant communities, faith congregations, press circles and activist networks, as defendants prepare for repeated court dates and legal costs. Officials, for their part, have cast the case as a public-safety and civil-rights enforcement action tied to protecting religious access and worship.
Easterwood’s dual role as a Cities Church pastor and an ICE official has shaped how different groups interpret the episode, with supporters of the prosecution pointing to worship-site protections and critics focusing on immigration enforcement and perceived conflicts of trust.
As the case proceeds, updates may appear through federal announcements in the Justice Department’s DOJ Newsroom, as well as statements from DHS and ICE. Court activity can also be tracked through U.S. District Court docket entries in the District of Minnesota, where filings typically list the charged counts, alleged conduct, dates, and any conditions of release or detention decisions.
Bondi, announcing the latest round of indictments, said the Justice Department would pursue the case aggressively. “YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”
