DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE official is a pastor

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JACK BROOK
Updated 9:46 PM CST, January 18, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE field office overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-ice-doj-church-protest-st-paul-46dac5c5595ec78e3360ec927eef92d2

[Srkdqltr]

1. What would Jesus do?

[SunSeeker]

4. Jesus would cast David Easterwood out of the temple. nt

[ret5hd]

2. that will fix this too...right?

and this…right?:

[SunSeeker]

3. Seems to me ICE is the one "desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers."

ICE actually entered churches and illegally kidnapped churchgoers. That's a lot more disruptive than what these protesters did. And they weren't protesting the church, they were protesting Easterwood's ICE involvement.

[Ocelot II]

5. Yet ICE goons can and do invade churches.

[Joinfortmill]

6. Now I've heard everything. ICE employee, a pastor?

[travelingthrulife]

16. Many of these ICE thugs are certain they are christians. They haven't a clue what

that book they are beating you over the head with says.

Welcoming strangers is like #1 on Jesus' list

[3Hotdogs]

7. Imagine what his sermons must be like.

Is anyone taking bets on if the protestors will be convicted? I wouldn't be surprised if D.O.J. sends their top prosecutor, A.D.A., Pirro, to prosecute the case.

[Grokenstein]

8. Given her record, that would be great.

[BurnDoubt]

9. If he's teaching Trumpism for Christianity, he's an Apostate Heretic. That is ALL.

[Puppyjive]

10. Botox Barbie doesn't want their identities revealed

You can't try them in a court of law if you don't know who they are.

[C Moon]

11. I'm not surprised. I'm sure pastors very often push right wing crap in their sermons.

A childhood friend (from 1st, 2nd grade) showed up on FaceBook.
I said hi to him. He went on to tell me he's a very popular minister and has lots of followers (he was very proud of himself)...I looked at his page and he's a maga.

[OldBaldy1701E]

12. This regime 'investigating civil rights violations'.

But, only those that they don't like. The atrocities that their own thugs are doing are perfectly fine.

[SunSeeker]

13. The protesters committed trespassing, at most. Nobody's civil rights were violated.

It's not like what ICE does, breaking into churches and kidnapping people without due process.

Trespassing is usually just a misdemeanor.

[travelingthrulife]

17. They won't even perform a show trial for the ICE thug who murdered Renee in cold blood.

[purr-rat beauty]

14. Fascist in a Frock

No quiet for them if they believe they can terrorize the community Monday through Saturday and pretend to be peaceful on Sunday

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. Oh well, just another case they'll lose in court. nt

[travelingthrulife]

18. Yes. But their goal is chaos and disrupting people's lives.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

20. Oh, believe me, I get that,

but one day, hopefully soon, these criminals will be facing their own charges and juries and, again, hopefully, convictions and long prison sentences.

[Rafielyo]

22. They will be charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 248

The law applies to anyone who
&quot 2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship..."

[Prairie Gates]

24. No they won't

Welcome to DU, by the way.

[Rafielyo]

26. What will the charges be, you think?

?

[Prairie Gates]

27. There won't be any charges

It's simple bluster, the usual garbage from the MAGAfascist infested DOJ.

[TBF]

25. Being charged & being convicted are 2 different things. nt

[Rafielyo]

28. Conviction will depend on whether the service was interrupted

According to the FACE Act.

[TBF]

30. Are you an attorney? nt

[Rafielyo]

31. No. But like you, I can make a prediction

Based on the video and what the law says

We all do it. Two in this thread have predicted the outcome. . Are they lawyers?

[TBF]

32. I have no idea who is an attorney and who is not in this thread -

but I do need to look up what happened and find out what resulted in all these allegations. All I've seen this afternoon was part of a story from Jim Acosta about Don Lemon being targeted by the Trump's DOJ. Which does not surprise me. But he's a reporter, so he's just covering a story. Whether the protest itself could be illegal is a different subject.

[bluestarone]

19. So, my questions. Were the members aware of this? Did the request the pastor resign?

Did the STOP coming to this church? Would like to hear more about this NON CHRISTIAN PASTOR!!

[Ocelot II]

21. This church is a conservative evangelical church apparently affiliated with the Southern Baptists.

They are, of course, free to believe what they want (which includes the usual anti-LGBT stuff, https://www.citieschurch.com/beliefs), but it's not surprising that an ICE official is also a Bible-thumper (I was also a bit disheartened to see that they have seriously uglified the interior of what was once a beautiful Episcopal church).

[Prairie Gates]

23. They can trespass them

That's about it. Disrupting a church service is not a civil right violation.

[Rafielyo]

33. Here's what 18 U.S.C. § 248 says

&quot a) Prohibited Activities.—Whoever—
...
(2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship...

[Prairie Gates]

34. Yeah, you posted it above too

There's no crime here and you're way too eager for there to be one. This is your first few hours on DU, trying to get everyone to believe that the protestors are bad and not the MAGAfascist ICE scumbags?

They're not going to get charged, and no jury in Minnesota would convict them.

And the MAGAfascist trashbags can troll and have tantrums all they want.

[Klarkashton]

29. More right wing bullshit. They get spanked and then it's

A federal case. Fuck them.

[TBF]

35. So, what I've read so far (NYTimes) is that the protesters were chanting.

Which is hardly "by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction".

I think unmasking an ice agent - showing that they are clergy - is what DOJ is really pissed off about.