Two More Commie Agitators ARRESTED for Ambushing Church

Federal agents arrested seven activists for storming a Minnesota church during Sunday worship, blocking terrified parents from their children while shouting threats that would haunt families for weeks.

Story Snapshot

Thirty to forty anti-ICE protesters invaded Cities Church in St. Paul during a January 18 service, blocking childcare areas and shouting insults at worshippers including children
Former CNN host Don Lemon livestreamed the disruption and was arrested alongside six others on federal charges under the 1871 civil rights conspiracy statute
The coordinated attack followed escalating anti-ICE tensions after Operation Metro Surge resulted in over 2,000 arrests and three fatal shootings in the Twin Cities
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the arrests while DHS documented parishioner injuries and children suffering trauma, with one child telling his father he thought he would die

When Protest Becomes Persecution

The church disruption occurred approximately 40 minutes into Cities Church’s livestreamed Sunday service. Protesters who had gathered at a nearby shopping center to plan their operation entered the sanctuary shouting accusations at the pastor about harboring an ICE agent. They blocked access to childcare areas, physically obstructed exits, and verbally assaulted attendees. Some protesters called parishioners Nazis and told children their parents would burn in hell. One parishioner fell and sustained injuries while attempting to flee through a side door. The service ended abruptly as families scrambled to escape what DHS Agent Timothy Gerber’s affidavit later described as an atmosphere of terror.

The Journalist or the Accomplice

Don Lemon arrived at the scene after the initial disruption, greeted protest leader Nekima Levy Armstrong, and began livestreaming footage on YouTube. He interviewed participants including Pastor Jonathan Parnell while the chaos continued around him. Lemon defended his presence as constitutionally protected journalism aimed at holding power accountable and exposing what he characterized as ICE racism and church white supremacy. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, emphasized First Amendment protections. Federal authorities saw something different. They arrested Lemon along with Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy in the early morning hours of January 29 or 30 in Los Angeles during his Grammy Awards coverage. Attorney General Bondi announced the arrests on social media, calling it a coordinated attack.

The Powder Keg Behind the Pews

The church invasion did not materialize from nowhere. It erupted from weeks of escalating confrontations following Operation Metro Surge, a sweeping immigration enforcement campaign in the Twin Cities. Between January 7 and January 24, three fatal shootings involving ICE and Border Patrol agents inflamed anti-enforcement activists. On January 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, an illegal immigrant whose SUV impeded arrests during an enforcement operation. Days later, an ICE agent wounded one of three illegal immigrants who ambushed him. On January 24, Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, who had a concealed carry permit and connections to an anti-ICE network. By mid-January, authorities had arrested more than 2,000 individuals under Operation Metro Surge, turning Minneapolis-St. Paul into contested ground.

Activists identified Cities Church as a target based on unverified claims that one pastor worked as an ICE officer. The church, affiliated with the Twin Cities Metro Baptist Association, Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, and Southern Baptist Convention, became collateral damage in a broader campaign against immigration enforcement. Protesters framed their action as resistance against oppression. Federal prosecutors framed it as conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights, invoking the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act originally designed to combat terrorist intimidation. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon suggested potential charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, typically applied to abortion clinic blockades, for interfering with access to religious gatherings.

Seven Arrests and Counting

Federal authorities moved systematically. On January 22, they arrested civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, who led the protesters into the church. Community organizer and St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen faced conspiracy charges for organizing the disruption. Activist William Kelly, who videotaped the protest while shouting insults at children and parishioners, was also charged. A week later, agents arrested Lemon and three associates in connection with the same incident. The staggered arrests suggest investigators methodically built their case, identifying organizers, participants, and those who amplified the disruption. A federal magistrate initially declined to charge Lemon, but authorities proceeded with arrests anyway, indicating either new evidence or directive from higher officials determined to make an example.

The Trauma That Lingers

DHS Agent Timothy Gerber’s affidavit painted a harrowing picture of the disruption’s human cost. Parents described panic as protesters physically separated them from their children in childcare areas. One child later told his father he thought he would die during the chaos. Parishioners reported fearing for their lives as exits were blocked and verbal harassment intensified. Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, praised the Department of Justice for protecting worship and human decency, citing the distress and fear documented in the affidavit. Baptist leader Mark Turner called the incident traumatic while urging compassion and engaging ethnic pastors to heal community divisions. Senator Markwayne Mullin declared the state must preserve constitutional rights against such disruptions. The intersection of religious freedom, immigration enforcement, and protest rights created legal and cultural flashpoints that will reverberate beyond this case.