DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE official is a pastor

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JACK BROOK
Updated 9:46 PM CST, January 18, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it is investigating a group of protesters in Minnesota who disrupted services at a church where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparently serves as a pastor.

A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE field office overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-ice-doj-church-protest-st-paul-46dac5c5595ec78e3360ec927eef92d2

[Srkdqltr]

1. What would Jesus do?

[SunSeeker]

4. Jesus would cast David Easterwood out of the temple. nt

[ret5hd]

2. that will fix this too...right?

and this…right?:

[SunSeeker]

3. Seems to me ICE is the one "desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers."

ICE actually entered churches and illegally kidnapped churchgoers. That's a lot more disruptive than what these protesters did. And they weren't protesting the church, they were protesting Easterwood's ICE involvement.

[Ocelot II]

5. Yet ICE goons can and do invade churches.

[Joinfortmill]

6. Now I've heard everything. ICE employee, a pastor?

[3Hotdogs]

7. Imagine what his sermons must be like.

Is anyone taking bets on if the protestors will be convicted? I wouldn't be surprised if D.O.J. sends their top prosecutor, A.D.A., Pirro, to prosecute the case.

[Grokenstein]

8. Given her record, that would be great.

[BurnDoubt]

9. If he's teaching Trumpism for Christianity, he's an Apostate Heretic. That is ALL.

[Puppyjive]

10. Botox Barbie doesn't want their identities revealed

You can't try them in a court of law if you don't know who they are.

[C Moon]

11. I'm not surprised. I'm sure pastors very often push right wing crap in their sermons.

A childhood friend (from 1st, 2nd grade) showed up on FaceBook.
I said hi to him. He went on to tell me he's a very popular minister and has lots of followers (he was very proud of himself)...I looked at his page and he's a maga.

[OldBaldy1701E]

12. This regime 'investigating civil rights violations'.

But, only those that they don't like. The atrocities that their own thugs are doing are perfectly fine.

[SunSeeker]

13. The protesters committed trespassing, at most. Nobody's civil rights were violated.

It's not like what ICE does, breaking into churches and kidnapping people without due process.

Trespassing is usually just a misdemeanor.

[purr-rat beauty]

14. Fascist in a Frock

No quiet for them if they believe they can terrorize the community Monday through Saturday and pretend to be peaceful on Sunday

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. Oh well, just another case they'll lose in court. nt