A Church Under Siege: The Day Anti-ICE Protesters Invaded a Minnesota Worship Service
Storming the Sanctuary: Anti-ICE Activists Disrupt Worship in St. Paul
A Sunday service. A sanctuary. Families gathered to worship. And then a political mob decided the church pews were their new protest stage.
On Sunday, January 18, 2026, a group of activists entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and interrupted the worship service—chanting slogans like “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.”
This wasn’t a protest outside. This was a takeover inside—in the middle of Christian worship.
What happened (the clean timeline)
Activists moved into the sanctuary during the service and began chanting, according to video and multiple reports.
Organizers cited include Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Racial Justice Network, Don Lemon who was agreed to livestream, per reporting and DOJ-related coverage.
The protest centered on the allegation that Pastor David Easterwood is also employed by ICE in Minnesota.
The service was forced to conclude because of the disruption.
The accusation they used to justify barging in
Protesters claimed one of the church’s pastors—David Easterwood—is connected to the ICE St. Paul Field Office.
The rationale to make the decision to invade a worship service is incredibly reckless, and a violation of the law.
What pushed the protest into “shocking” territory
Two things can be true at once:
People can be angry about immigration enforcement tactics.
A church service is not fair game for intimidation.
Even mainstream reporting notes the protest triggered strong condemnation, and the federal government has now stepped in.
The U.S. Department of Justice said it is investigating the disruption, with DOJ Civil Rights leadership describing it as interfering with worship and desecrating a house of worship.
And whatever someone thinks about ICE, this is the line a civilized society doesn’t cross: political coercion inside a space set apart for worship.
The part many people are reacting to: class/race-tinged taunting
Witnesses specifically called out remarks about race and “nice jewelry.” Those lines appear in circulating video clips shared online, including a protester saying words to the effect of: “You drink your coffee. You got your jewelry…” Other videos include parents trying to leave, placing their chidren in child seats, while protestors are yelling at them with the strongest of intimidation.
Other circulating posts describe rhetoric aimed at “comfortable” churchgoers in racialized terms.
Mocking worshippers with class/race-charged taunts inside a church is ugly behavior—and it lands exactly how regular people think it lands: as intimidation, contempt, and moral bullying.
“But protest is protected speech,” right?
Peaceful protest is protected. Harassment and obstruction are not. And location matters. Targeting a Church is unlawful.
Several reports note the DOJ is looking at potential federal violations related to interference with religious worship.
And reporting also describes media figure Don Lemon’s livestream presence and the broader controversy around it.
This is what people mean when they say: “Protest is one thing. Targeting ordinary families at worship is another.”
Why this should alarm people who aren’t political junkies
Because the precedent is poison:
If activists can invade a church because they dislike someone’s job, then no faith community is safe from being turned into a political battleground.
A pluralistic society doesn’t survive when the rule becomes:
“If we’re mad enough, we can disrupt your worship.”
