Twin Cities faith leaders push back as DOJ, FBI weigh FACE Act charges over Cities Church protest
The DOJ and FBI have opened a Civil Rights Division probe under the FACE Act and related statutes and are vowing to pursue federal charges after activists, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network, interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul to protest pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as acting ICE Minnesota field office director. Christian and other faith leaders have pushed back—urging protection of worshippers’ rights and de‑escalation, warning that barging into services crosses a line even as some clergy caution that aggressive FACE Act use could chill direct‑action tactics and further politicize houses of worship amid a divided congregation.
📌 Key Facts
- Protesters interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants over pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as ICE’s acting Minnesota field office director.
- Protest leaders, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network, said the action targeted a church they accused of 'harboring' the ICE official who oversees raids affecting immigrant communities.
- The protest was livestreamed by Don Lemon; pastor Jonathan Parnell denounced the disruption as "shameful" and told Lemon to leave unless he was there to worship.
- The DOJ Civil Rights Division and the FBI opened an investigation under the federal FACE Act and related statutes, and DOJ officials have said they will pursue federal (likely criminal) charges against activists who disrupted the service.
- Reporters and officials framed the legal basis as potential violations of the FACE Act — statutes that protect access to religious services — raising the prospect of criminal prosecution for interrupting worship.
- Minnesota Christian and other religious leaders urged protection of worshippers' rights, warned against turning houses of worship into proxy battlegrounds for ICE politics, and emphasized the difference between protesting outside a church and interrupting an active service.
- Some clergy warned DOJ’s use of the FACE Act here could be two‑edged: it might chill direct‑action tactics against officials who hold dual church/government roles while also setting clearer boundaries around sanctuaries (including mosques and synagogues) during heightened ICE enforcement.
- Responses inside the Cities Church congregation were mixed, with calls for de‑escalation, some members supporting the pastor’s federal role, and others uneasy about the church being tied closely to ICE.
📊 Relevant Data
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances & Places of Religious Worship — U.S. Department of Justice
In 2024, the FACE Act was invoked in a DOJ lawsuit against pro-Palestinian protesters for disrupting a synagogue service, expanding its application beyond abortion clinics to protect religious worship.
New York's governor is introducing a bill to curb synagogue protests — Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Somali refugees began resettling in Minnesota in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Somali government, with organizations like Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities facilitating resettlement due to their experience with refugees.
How Minnesota became the center of the Somali diaspora — Sahan Journal
The Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, established in 1994, was the first Somali organization to help refugees resettle in the state.
Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota — MNopedia
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and contribute about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Immigrants, including Somali Minnesotans contributing $8 billion, account for $26 billion in Minnesota's economy.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
The Somali population in Minnesota is estimated at around 80,000 to 100,000, making it the largest Somali diaspora in the United States, with significant growth from 2015 to 2025 in areas like St. Paul.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to census data — KTTC
From 2019-2023, nearly 60% of Minnesota's total labor force and employment growth came from foreign-born workers, including Somalis.
The economic contributions of New Americans in Minnesota — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
ICE's Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, starting December 2025, has led to over 400 arrests, primarily of Somalis, causing businesses to close and families to stay home due to fear.
ICE Arrests the Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Including Pedophiles, Rapists, and Violent Thugs — Department of Homeland Security
Socioeconomic disparities among Somali immigrants in Minnesota, such as high poverty rates with one in eight children in poverty living in Somali homes, contribute to challenges like crime involvement.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- The piece reports statements from Christian and other religious leaders in Minnesota urging that, whatever people think of immigration enforcement, federal authorities must protect the right to worship without disruption and avoid turning churches into proxy battlegrounds for ICE politics.
- Some interviewees distinguish between protesting outside versus interrupting an active service, warning that barging into worship crosses a line and risks FACE Act charges even when the target is an ICE‑linked pastor.
- The article notes concern among clergy that DOJ’s use of the FACE Act in this context could become a two‑edged sword—chilling direct‑action tactics against officials who hold dual roles in churches and government, while at the same time setting clearer boundaries around sanctuaries—including mosques and synagogues—during this ICE surge.
- It adds context on how the congregation is responding internally (calls for de‑escalation, some members supporting the pastor’s federal role, others uneasy about the church being tied so closely to ICE), which wasn’t in the initial law‑enforcement‑centric coverage.
- DOJ officials are now publicly vowing to pursue federal charges against activists who disrupted the Cities Church service, not just ‘review’ the incident.
- The article more clearly frames the legal basis as potential violations of the federal FACE Act and related statutes protecting access to religious services.
- It adds additional detail on federal rhetoric, casting the action not only as a civil-rights review but a likely criminal case, raising stakes for local protesters.
- Confirms that protesters interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants specifically over pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as ICE’s acting Minnesota field office director.
- Details that protest leaders, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network, framed the action as targeting a church they say is ‘harboring’ the official overseeing ICE raids that are ‘wreaking havoc’ on immigrant communities.
- Reports that Don Lemon livestreamed the protest, Pastor Jonathan Parnell denounced the disruption as 'shameful' and told Lemon to leave unless he was there to worship, and that DOJ Civil Rights and the FBI have formally opened an investigation under the FACE Act and related statutes.