Anti-ICE demonstrators disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, chanting slogans and accusing a pastor of collaborating with federal immigration agents. The incident, captured on video and live-streamed by former CNN host Don Lemon, has prompted a federal investigation into potential violations of civil rights laws. It stems from ongoing protests following the fatal shooting of activist Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier this month.
On January 18, 2026, a group of protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul during a morning service, shouting 'Hands up, don't shoot' and labeling congregants 'fake Christians' due to one pastor's reported role as an ICE field director. Lead pastor Jonathan Parnell called the disruption 'shameful' and ended the service early as children began crying. Activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, a former NAACP executive, praised the action on social media, while Don Lemon live-streamed the event, stating protests should 'make people uncomfortable' and comparing it to the Civil Rights Movement.
The raid follows the January 7 shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Good accelerated her SUV toward Ross, prompting defensive shots; Ross suffered internal bleeding. However, New York Times analyses of cell-phone videos, including Ross's bodycam, found no evidence her vehicle struck him and showed her turning away before he fired, including a shot into her ear. Good was alive with an erratic pulse when paramedics arrived, but a neighborhood doctor was denied access by agents. A Quinnipiac poll indicated 82% of viewers saw the footage, with a majority blaming Ross.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated on Fox News that the DOJ would not investigate Ross, citing the video as sufficient review and rejecting media pressure. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, unsurprised, affirmed state plans to prosecute, criticizing the refusal to share evidence like shell casings. 'We have the legal right to investigate,' Ellison said.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced DOJ probes into the church incident under the FACE Act, which prohibits interfering with religious worship, and possibly the Ku Klux Klan Act for conspiracy. 'You don't have a First Amendment right to trespass and invade a house of worship,' Dhillon said, noting prosecutors were en route to Minnesota. She suggested Lemon's involvement could lead to charges, as journalism offers no shield for criminal conspiracy. Governor Tim Walz urged peaceful protests but opposed interrupting worship; local police monitored without arrests.
The event highlights escalating tensions, with 10 DOJ attorneys resigning over the Good case and protests turning chaotic. Public opinion has shifted, with 61% now viewing ICE as too aggressive, per recent polls.
