St. Paul church protest: Twin Cities activists arrested

Arrests expected soon in St. Paul anti-ICE church protest

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has announced arrests will be coming any moment now in connection to an anti-ICE protest inside a St. Paul church Sunday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Twin Cities activist Nekima Levy Armstrong has been arrested for her role in planning a protest at a St. Paul church over the weekend, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday.

Activist arrested

What we know:

In a tweet, Bondi wrote that Armstrong had been arrested by the FBI at her direction for her role in planning a protest Sunday morning at Cities Church on Summit Avenue in St. Paul.

Bondi writes: "So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP."

Bondi later added that another activist, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, had also been taken into custody for the protest. Allen is a member of the St. Paul School Board and a community organizer.

The backstory:

A group of protesters interrupted Sunday mass at Cities Church to oppose one of the church's pastors, David Easterwood, who also serves as the acting field office director for ICE in Minnesota.

Videos of the protests show activists chanting during mass and confronting lead pastor Jonathan Parnell. The protest was organized by the Racial Justice Network, an organization led by Armstrong.

DOJ investigating church protest

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church service in the Twin Cities over the weekend. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the latest.

Dig deeper:

The protest made waves online with reactions reaching all the way to the White House, with President Trump saying on Tuesday that "it was horrible."

Over the weekend, both Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the protest was under investigation. Dhillon said in tweets that the Department of Justice was investigating for violations of the FACE Act, which prohibits interference and intimidation at places of worship.

Bondi did not immediately say what crimes Armstrong may face. However, FBI Director Kash Patel later added that the arrest stemmed from violations of the FACE Act. However, Kristi Noem shared a photo of Armstrong's arrest, stating she would be charged with a conspiracy against rights violation. That law penalizes any conspiracy to "oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person" from exercising their rights granted by the Constitution or U.S. law.