Federal agents with Homeland Security and the F.B.I. arrested activist Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen in connection with a protest that interrupted Sunday service at Cities Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media Thursday.
Meanwhile, a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota rejected a criminal complaint against journalist Don Lemon, who said he was present to report on the protest Sunday, according to a source familiar with the matter, who described Bondi as “enraged” by the decision.
The protesters, along with others involved in the demonstration, objected to a pastor there who they said works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Several organizers of the protest were calling for the resignation of David Easterwood, a pastor at the church, who they say is also the acting director of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in St. Paul. In that role, Easterwood spoke alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about ICE activity in October, according to video from KARE.
Noem shared a photo of Armstrong’s arrest on social media Thursday, saying she was being held on conspiracy charges for playing “a key role in orchestrating the Church Riots in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
“Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States — there is no First Amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion,” Noem said.
Justice Department officials had said they were pursuing the investigation based upon the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994 Act, which covers reproductive health services as well as places of worship under a compromise reached by legislators in the wake of several killings of abortion doctors.
Videos of Sunday’s protest inside the church showed dozens of demonstrators marching through the building as they chanted “ICE out” and “David Easterwood, out now.”
In a statement Tuesday, the Cities Church condemned the protest, saying demonstrators “accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat. Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated.” The church added that it was “evaluating next steps with our legal counsel.”
The scenes sparked intense reactions online and from Trump administration officials, prompting the Department if Justice to launch an investigation Monday.
In a livestream with Lemon, Armstrong said, “They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is directing ICE agents to wreak havoc among our community, and who killed Renee Good!”
Armstrong told NBC News on Monday that the church invited them in and so she took it as an “opportunity for dialogue” and wanted to raise awareness with the congregation about who Easterwood is, so they could decide if they feel comfortable continuing to bring their families to this congregation.
The arrests came after demonstrations intensified across Minnesota in the wake of Good’s fatal shooting by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.
Maggie Vespa contributed.