Protesters interrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, in an anti-ICE demonstration that prosecutors said resulted in arrests on federal charges. The incident took place during a service last Sunday at the Southern Baptist congregation, where one of the pastors, David Easterwood, works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Charles C. Haynes, a senior fellow for religious liberty at the Freedom Forum, said disrupting a worship service is against the law. He also said civil rights law should be invoked when people interfere with the religious freedom of others in their house of worship, while noting protesters often believe their cause is too urgent to take drastic action.
The AP reported that about three dozen protesters entered the church during the service. Some walked up to the pulpit, and others loudly chanted “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” referring to Renee Good, who the report said was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney who described herself as a Christian, depicted the protest in religious terms on Facebook before her arrest Thursday, writing: “It’s time for judgment to begin and it will begin in the House of God!!!”
Southern Baptists’ North American Mission Board president Kevin Ezell said no cause—political or otherwise—justifies desecrating a sacred space or inflicting intimidation and trauma on families gathered peacefully “in the house of God,” in a statement. He said: “No cause — political or otherwise — justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God.”
Even as some faith leaders have criticized the immigration enforcement approach in Minnesota, the AP reported limited support for the in-church protest. The Minnesota Council of Churches, which joined calls for a Friday boycott of shopping, school and work, declined to comment on the arrests, and clergy who oppose immigration enforcement still expressed discomfort with the tactic.
Brian Kaylor, a minister affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a leader of the Christian media organization Word&Way, said he was “very torn” by the protest inside a church. He added, “It would be very alarming if we come to see this become a widespread tactic across the political spectrum.”
Bishop Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., said her response to the arrests was measured and emphasized safety and sanctuary. In a statement, she said: “No one should fear for their safety or security in a house of worship — whether they are members of Cities Church or immigrants afraid to enter for fear of detention,” and added, “We must protect the sanctity of every sacred space and the safety of all who gather in prayer.”
Federal officials told reporters that the three protesters face charges under a law originally enacted after the Civil War to counter vigilantes such as the Ku Klux Klan. The AP report said the law carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, or more if the case involves injury, death or destruction of property.
The AP also placed the case in context of other church-related protest episodes and debates over protest-free buffer zones at sensitive sites, including discussion of earlier civil disobedience tactics and court fights balancing protesters’ rights and worshippers’ access to safety and religious observance.