The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the arrests of more than two dozen of the anti-ICE rioters who, with propagandist Don Lemon, infamously stormed a Minnesota church in January.
It is tremendously important that the federal government defend constitutional rights and also punish criminal actions, particularly in relation to the anti-ICE domestic terrorism craze, given how the pro-open borders crazies keep escalating their violence. If criminals face no consequences for their crimes, copycats will spring up everywhere, and an epidemic of violence will be the result.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement on X on Friday afternoon stating that the DOJ is charging numerous other radicals who aggressively and illegally disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul. Most of the criminals are already under arrest.
Bondi’s post declared, “Today, @thejusticedept unsealed an indictment charging 30 more people who took part in the attack on Cities Church in Minnesota. At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day.”
The attorney general emphasized how serious it is to violate the constitutional right to freedom of worship in the United States. “YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you,” Bondi emphatically wrote. “This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”
Related: ICE Files Detainer for Illegal Alien Assailant of Mother of Four
I was told by an inside source, who would prefer to remain anonymous, that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is involved in the arrests as well. This would make sense as the rioters were specifically protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions when they stormed the church, but the DHS has not apparently confirmed its involvement on an official channel or platform.
The Daily Signal’s Senior Editor Tyler O’Neil shared the indictment:
🚨BREAKING
— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) February 27, 2026
THIRTY-NINE individuals now face charges for the invasion of Cities Church
Here's the superseding indictment.
🧵1/7 pic.twitter.com/EbK7gqUGdM
The Cities Church attack, which involved such loud anti-ICE chants that the minister had to end the service early, included the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota. The deranged lefties believed that one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, was identical to the acting ICE field office director for Minnesota. Ex-CNN talking head Lemon was part of the group and harassed one pastor. One member of the church, Ann Doucette, subsequently filed a lawsuit against the protestors in a Minnesota district court.
No matter what Lemon claims, it is not free speech to storm a church and force an end to a church service. In fact, instead of being protected by the First Amendment, the rioters were potentially in violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees the “free exercise” of religion. Note above that the DOJ cited the First Amendment and its protection for freedom of religion in the indictment against the protestors.
For too long, leftists have falsely claimed violence is free speech even as they aggressively attack the free exercise of religion (particularly for Christians and Jews). Democrats have tried to force their immoral views on abortion, transgenderism, and homosexuality onto American Christians — and now they’re insisting all churches agree that illegal immigration is fine and dandy. That’s unacceptable, as the DOJ made clear.
