At a Glance
- About 30 protesters halted Sunday worship at Cities Church in St. Paul, marching to the pulpit and chanting “ICE out.”
- The church’s pastor, David Easterwood, also heads the local ICE field office; activists link the demonstration to a fatal Jan. 7 ICE shooting.
- The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention labeled the event “unacceptable trauma,” while federal civil-rights investigators probe potential FACE Act violations.
Why it matters: The clash spotlights rising tension between immigration enforcement and religious freedom in houses of worship.
A Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul turned into a flashpoint after anti-ICE demonstrators stormed the sanctuary, forcing worship to end early and prompting faith leaders across the spectrum to defend both migrants’ rights and the sanctity of sacred space.
Disruption inside the sanctuary
About three dozen protesters entered the Gothic-style, century-old stone building shortly after the service began. Some walked straight to the pulpit while others chanted “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” invoking the woman shot dead by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on January 7, 2025. The demonstration lasted several minutes, ending only when church leaders closed the service.
Pastor Jonathan Parnell, a missionary with the North American Mission Board, had been leading worship. Cities Church belongs to the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, whose leader, Trey Turner, told Sophia A. Reynolds on Monday that families “were shouted at with insults and accusations,” traumatizing children and youth.
The church’s associate pastor, David Easterwood, simultaneously oversees the regional ICE field office, a dual role that protest organizers cite as their reason for targeting the congregation.
Faith leaders split on tactics and theology
The convention’s statement called the intrusion “an unacceptable trauma” and urged churches to offer compassionate care to migrant families while protecting worship space. Kevin Ezell, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, declared the act “lawless harassment,” adding, “No cause-political or otherwise-justifies the desecration of a sacred space.”
Prominent activist and ordained pastor Nekima Levy Armstrong, who helped lead the protest, framed the action in biblical terms on Facebook: “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, warned that “invading a congregation at worship should be unthinkable,” accusing the political left of “crossing a threshold.”
Conversely, Brian Kaylor, a Cooperative Baptist-affiliated minister, labeled having an ICE official as pastor “a serious moral failure,” yet said he was “very torn” about disrupting worship. “It would be very alarming if this becomes a widespread tactic,” Kaylor added.
Federal response and legal backdrop
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a civil-rights investigation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said prosecutors are reviewing potential violations of the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bars physical obstruction or intimidation of people exercising religious freedom at a house of worship. She called the protest “un-American and outrageous.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted that “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.”
Last January, federal agencies lifted prior guidance that had limited immigration arrests in churches, schools, and hospitals. Since then, no raids during services have been reported, though some congregations note declining attendance amid enforcement surges.
Broader immigration debate among Christians
U.S. Christians remain divided over immigration policy. White evangelicals generally back stronger enforcement, while Catholic leaders often emphasize migrant protections. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant body, has called for both border security and compassionate treatment of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally.
Miles Mullin, vice-president of the Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, argued that clergy-led protests on social issues should never prevent others from worshipping. “For Baptists, our worship services are sacred,” he said.
Security concerns mount
Several pastors urged churches to review safety plans. Rev. Joe Rigney, a Cities Church founding pastor who served until 2023, said the fatal shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school Mass last summer makes vigilance essential.
A spokesperson for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told Sophia A. Reynolds that while citizens have a right to speak out, the governor does not support interrupting worship.
Parallel legal battles
On the same Monday, the Department of Justice notified a federal appeals court it will appeal an injunction barring federal officers in Minneapolis from detaining or tear-gassing peaceful observers who are not obstructing operations. The case, filed in December, involves six activists who monitor ICE activities across the Twin Cities.
Holiday protests continue
Despite temperatures dropping to minus 8 degrees Celsius, dozens marked Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in St. Paul. Motorists waved signs reading, “What did you do while your neighbors were being kidnapped?” and “We love our Somali neighbors.” Separately, protesters staged a brief sit-in at a Target store, demanding the retailer bar federal agents. Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, faced criticism after video showed agents detaining two employees in nearby Richfield.
Key takeaways
- The church protest illustrates intensifying conflict over immigration enforcement in sensitive spaces.
- Federal investigators are weighing whether the demonstration crossed the line into illegal intimidation under the FACE Act.
- Christian leaders across denominations defend the right to worship without disruption, even as they debate immigration policy.
- With more than 2,000 federal immigration officers deployed statewide, Minnesota has become a national focal point for activism and legal clashes.
