AT A GLANCE
- Activists disrupted a Sunday service at a Minnesota church over allegations that a pastor also holds a senior role with ICE.
- The protest followed days of demonstrations in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent.
- The Trump administration condemned the disruption, with the DOJ launching an investigation and warning of potential federal charges.
- Journalist Don Lemon was put “on notice” by the DOJ after posting video from inside the church while covering the protest.
DOJ Vows to Press Charges After Activists Protest in Minnesota Church Where ICE Official Is a Pastor
Protesters in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church after online claims surfaced alleging that one of the church’s pastors also holds a senior leadership role within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Videos circulating on social media show demonstrators chanting and speaking out inside the church while services were underway, drawing swift attention online and within the congregation.
According to social media posts, protesters identified the pastor as David Easterwood, whose name appears in federal records as the Acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in ICE’s Saint Paul office. Demonstrators said the interruption was intended to call attention to what they described as an unacceptable overlap between religious leadership and federal immigration enforcement authority.
As of publication, no major news organization has independently confirmed that the Cities Church pastor and the ICE official named in federal records are the same individual. While videos and posts online continue to make that claim, the identity connection has not been verified, and church leadership has not publicly confirmed or denied the allegation.
The protest quickly drew condemnation from the Trump administration. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement saying President Trump “will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” adding that the Department of Justice had launched a full investigation into what she called a “despicable incident” at a Minnesota church.
Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that message, warning that interference with religious services could trigger federal charges under laws protecting places of worship.
The incident unfolded amid sustained protests across Minneapolis following a surge in federal immigration enforcement after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was killed earlier this month by an ICE agent during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Good’s death sparked widespread demonstrations, community grief, and renewed scrutiny of ICE tactics in the Twin Cities, with residents and advocacy groups saying the heightened federal presence has created fear and instability, particularly within immigrant communities.
The situation escalated further after independent journalist Don Lemon shared video footage from inside Cities Church on Jan. 18 while covering the protest. In the video, Lemon told viewers, “This is what the First Amendment is about, the freedom to protest. I’m sure people here don’t like it, but protests are not comfortable.” The footage went viral, prompting online critics to accuse Lemon of instigating or organizing the disruption rather than reporting on it.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon publicly responded to Lemon’s coverage, posting on X that a house of worship “is not a public forum for your protest” and warning that federal criminal and civil laws protect religious services from interference. “You are on notice,” Dhillon wrote, asserting that the First Amendment does not protect what she described as Lemon’s “pseudo-journalism” during a prayer service.
Dhillon later appeared on The Benny Johnson Show, where she said the Department of Justice was considering multiple statutes that could be used to prosecute Lemon and protesters, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
She also cited the Ku Klux Klan Act, formally known as the Enforcement Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era civil rights law originally designed to combat racial terror and protect constitutional rights. Dhillon said the law could apply when people conspire to intimidate or violate civil rights, adding that “the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening.”
Lemon responded to the legal threats by rejecting the administration’s framing.
In a statement, he said it was “notable” that he had been cast as the face of the protest “when I wasn’t the only reporter there,” calling the narrative telling. He also said he had received a barrage of violent threats, along with racist and homophobic slurs, from MAGA supporters online following the administration’s response.
“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good — the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place,” Lemon said, adding that he stands by his reporting.
The backlash expanded beyond government officials. Rapper Nicki Minaj posted an all-caps rant on social media attacking Lemon over his coverage of the protest, using homophobic slurs and calling for his arrest. Lemon, who is openly gay and married to his longtime partner Tim Malone, responded by questioning Minaj’s understanding of journalism and dismissing her comments as performative.
As federal authorities escalate their response and protests continue across Minneapolis, the disruption at Cities Church — and the fallout surrounding its coverage — has become a flashpoint in a widening national debate over immigration enforcement, protest rights, press freedom, and the political use of civil rights laws once designed to protect marginalized communities.
