MINNEAPOLIS, MN – At least two people have been arrested in relation to an anti-ICE protest that interrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul this past Sunday (Jan. 18). Attorney General Pam Bondi announced one of the arrests in an X post.
Lawyer and social justice activist Nekima Levy Armstrong was among those arrested and charged for disrupting the service. Levy Armstrong was the individual responsible for coordinating the demonstration.
According to the protesters, a pastor of the church named David Easterwood holds a high-ranking position with ICE and oversees operations in Minnesota. The group accused Easterwood of covering up the murder of Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026. They also accused ICE agents of terrorizing the community in other ways.
“I don’t understand how, as a pastor, he (David Easterwood) thinks that that’s acceptable,” Nekima Levy Armstrong said at the demonstration on Sunday. “At the core, Christianity, if you’re genuine about it, is the call to love thy neighbor as you love yourself,” she added.
“If you compare anyone’s actions and behaviors against that scripture, that will tell you who is on the right side of history and who is on the wrong side of history.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi promised consequences for the protest after speaking with the lead pastor of Cities Church. She affirmed her stance of protecting freedom of religion in a social media post after Levy Armstrong’s arrest.
“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi shared.
Cities Church has shared the possibility of legal action against demonstrators since Sunday’s demonstration. Attorneys for the church praised the Attorney General for swift action in the matter.
“The U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the terrible crime,” Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal, said in a statement.
Some faith leaders called for the arrest of independent journalist Don Lemon for his part in the demonstration. The media professional was allegedly called by Nekima Levy Armstrong and documented the occurrences that took place inside the place of worship.
On camera, Lemon told his viewership that he was not part of the protest but was, rather, reporting on the situation. A magistrate judge rejected the Department of Justice’s charges against Don Lemon.