In Minneapolis, the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation after a group of protesters disrupted a church service in St. Paul. The service in question was held at Cities Church, where one of the pastors, David Easterwood, also serves as the acting director of the local ICE field office involved in recent federal immigration enforcement activities.
A video streamed live on Facebook by Black Lives Matter Minnesota, a group that organized the protest, depicts demonstrators interrupting the service by chanting slogans such as "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good." Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot earlier this month by an ICE agent in Minneapolis amid an increase in enforcement operations.
Protesters allege that Easterwood, who appears on Cities Church's website as a pastor, is concurrently overseeing ICE actions in the region, which have reportedly included aggressive tactics and unlawful arrests. Court documents identify Easterwood as the St. Paul ICE field office’s acting director, and he had previously appeared with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press event last October.
U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon condemned the disruption, emphasizing that places of worship are legally protected sanctuaries exempt from protests. In social media statements, Dhillon labeled the protesters' actions as violations of federal civil rights and unlawful interference with religious services.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also signaled on social media that the Justice Department would pursue legal measures if any federal laws were breached during the protests.
Meanwhile, Nekima Levy Armstrong, an ordained reverend and leader of the Racial Justice Network who participated in the protest, criticized the anticipated DOJ investigation, describing it as a diversion from the impact of federal agents' actions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community. Armstrong expressed profound concern that an individual who oversees ICE operations is serving as a pastor, calling for reflection on the moral implications.
Details about Easterwood’s role during the specific disrupted service remain unclear, as he did not lead the livestreamed portion of the service and his presence on that day was not confirmed. Efforts to obtain comments from Easterwood and Cities Church were unsuccessful.
In a January 5 court filing, Easterwood defended ICE's enforcement measures in Minnesota, including controversial crowd control methods such as the use of flash-bang grenades and chemical irritants, citing increased threats to agents and underscoring the need for protective tactics. He stated he was unaware of intentional targeting or retaliation against peaceful demonstrators or legal observers.
ICE issued a statement deploring the attacks on their personnel, noting that protesters have been following federal officers from hotels to churches in search of law enforcement officials risking their lives to protect Americans.
Monique Cullars-Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, criticized the DOJ's plans for prosecution, questioning the morality of a church leader who actively directs ICE raids and affirming the necessity of protest against such actions.