DOJ Investigates Activists for Storming St. Paul
DOJ Minnesota church investigation 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officially launched a federal civil rights investigation on Sunday, January 18, 2026, following a disruptive protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. A group of activists, including members of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Racial Justice Network, entered the sanctuary during the morning worship service to protest the church’s alleged connection to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstrators interrupted the opening prayer and sermon by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this month. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division described the incident as a “desecration of a house of worship” and a violation of federal laws designed to protect religious assemblies from interference and intimidation.
The protest was specifically targeted at David Easterwood, a pastor at Cities Church who has been identified in court filings as the acting director of the ICE field office in St. Paul. Protesters allege that Easterwood’s dual role as a religious leader and an immigration enforcement official is “unfathomable” given the “barbaric” tactics and illegal arrests they claim have been carried out under his command during “Operation Metro Surge.” Livestreamed video of the event showed demonstrators positioning themselves in the middle of the sanctuary while the congregation attempted to continue their service. In response, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that “attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians” would be met with the full force of federal law, warning that the DOJ remains mobilized to prosecute federal crimes if state leaders fail to contain what the administration describes as “lawlessness.”
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and ordained reverend who participated in the demonstration, dismissed the DOJ’s investigation as a “sham” intended to distract the public from the ongoing federal “invasion” of the Twin Cities. She argued that the community’s outrage is a direct response to the “atrocities” being committed by federal agents and that a house of worship should not serve as a sanctuary for those orchestrating controversial immigration raids. Conversely, religious leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board condemned the disruption, with some pledging to provide private security for churches if local officials like Governor Tim Walz refuse to act. The North American Mission Board’s president, Kevin Ezell, reported that children in the service were “terrified” by the sudden influx of masked agitators.
The incident at Cities Church marks a significant escalation in the tensions between federal authorities and local activists, as demonstrations move from government buildings and transit corridors into private religious spaces. The DOJ has invoked statutes that protect the right to assemble for religious purposes without threat of force or obstruction, signaling that this will be a high-priority prosecution. As federal investigators begin reviewing surveillance and livestream footage to identify the individuals involved, the city of St. Paul remains on high alert. This investigation joins a growing list of federal legal actions in Minnesota, further complicating the relationship between the Trump administration and state leaders who have characterized the recent surge of federal agents as a politically motivated occupation of their community.
