Protesters Halt Church Service in Minnesota, DOJ Investigates ICE Ties

Wed Jan 21 2026 08:42:01 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent protest, members of Black Lives Matter Minnesota disrupted a church service led by an ICE official, prompting a federal investigation into potential civil rights violations.

Protesters interrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, demanding justice for Renee Good, a mother fatally shot by an ICE agent. The protest has sparked a DOJ investigation into the actions of protesters and the role of church pastor David Easterwood, who is tied to local ICE operations. Civil rights advocates are condemning the situation, emphasizing the inappropriateness of ICE's presence in the church.

MINNEAPOLIS (Echosphere) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Sunday an investigation into a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted a church service where an official from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly serves as a pastor.

The protest took place at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators shouted phrases like ICE out and Justice for Renee Good, referring to a mother of three who was killed by an ICE agent earlier this month, amidst rising federal immigration enforcement actions.

Protesters allege that David Easterwood, the pastor of the church, also directs the local ICE field office, overseeing operations that have involved alleged illegal arrests and violent tactics against community members.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon condemned the actions of the protesters, referring to their disruption of the church service as a desecration of a place of worship. A house of worship is not a public forum for protest! she asserted on social media, stressing that such acts are protected against by laws at the federal level.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a leader of the Racial Justice Network and participant in the protest, dismissed the investigation as a distraction from the serious issues surrounding ICE's actions in the community. She insisted that to be more concerned about the protests than about the trauma inflicted by ICE agents reflects a deeper moral issue.

The church’s website lists David Easterwood as a pastor, with court filings connecting him to the ICE operations in St. Paul. Despite efforts to contact Cities Church for comments, they did not respond. It remains uncertain if Easterwood was present during the service that turned chaotic.

In a court filing from January, Easterwood defended ICE practices such as license plate swapping and crowd control methods that included flash-bang grenades, insisting they were necessary for officer safety amid increased threats. He claimed to be unaware of any instances where peaceful protesters were targeted.

ICE has characterized the protesters as agitators and decried their tactics, stating that they are not just endangering ICE officers but also undermining safety within community spaces like churches.

Monique Cullars-Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, criticized the DOJ's focus on prosecuting the protesters, emphasizing the shocking reality of a church leader orchestrating ICE raids. We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray, she asserted, highlighting a growing concern over the intersection of faith and enforcement actions in community spaces.