3 people who participated in a Minnesota church protest were arrested

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A prominent civil rights lawyer and at least two other people who participated in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota have been arrested, Trump administration officials said Thursday, even as a judge dismissed related charges against journalist Don Lemon.

The developments unfolded with the arrival of Vice President J.D. Vance in the state.

He watches: To ease tensions over ICE, “all we need is a little cooperation,” says Vance in Minneapolis.

District Attorney Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Nikema Levy Armstrong in a post on X. On Sunday, protesters entered the Church of the Cities in St. Paul, where a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor. Bundy later posted on X that a second person had been arrested, followed by a third arrest announced by FBI Director Kash Patel.

The Justice Department quickly opened a civil rights investigation after the group boycotted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” a reference to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.

“Listen loud and clear: We do not tolerate attacks on places of worship,” the prosecutor wrote on X.

Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads the local ICE field office. Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work in other capacities.

Read more: Immigration officers claim sweeping authority to enter homes without a warrant, the memo says

Lawyers representing the church praised the arrests.

“The U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the horrific crime,” Doug Wardlaw, director of litigation at True North Legal, which calls itself a public interest civil rights firm, said in a statement.

Vance threatens the protesters with imprisonment

Levi Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and prominent local activist, had called on the ICE-affiliated priest to resign, saying his dual role poses a “fundamental moral conflict.”

“You cannot lead a group while running an agency whose actions have taken lives and created fear in our communities,” she said Tuesday. “When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse to meaningfully investigate killings like Rene Judd’s, and suggest they might go after peaceful protesters and journalists, that’s not justice — it’s intimidation.”

He watches: Border Patrol and ICE leaders defend the tactics used in the Minneapolis operations

Prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention have come to the church’s defense, arguing that sympathy for immigrant families affected by the crackdown cannot justify violating a sacred space during worship.

Vance, speaking in Toledo before his visit to Minnesota, warned protesters at the church: “These people will be sent to prison as long as we have the ability to do so. We will do everything we can to enforce the law.”

The arrests follow a Department of Justice civil rights investigation

Levi Armstrong, a longtime activist in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, helped lead local protests after high-profile police-involved killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd, Philando Castile and Jamar Clark. She is a former president of the Minneapolis branch of the NAACP.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo on X of Levi Armstrong with her arms behind her back next to someone wearing a badge. Noem said she faces a charge under a law that prohibits threatening or intimidating anyone exercising their rights.

Read more: Justice Department subpoenas Minnesota Governor Walz and other officials in obstruction investigation

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that Chauntelle Louisa Allen, the second person Bundy said was arrested, is charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services or seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship. William Kelly was also arrested, Patel said.

It is not clear which attorneys will represent Allen and Kelly.

St. Paul Public Schools, where Allen serves on the Board of Education, is aware of her arrest but will not comment on pending legal matters, according to district spokeswoman Erica Wacker.

Allen and Levi Armstrong are part of a community of black activists in Minnesota who protest the killing of African Americans at the hands of police.

Kelly defended the protest during a news conference Tuesday, criticizing the church for its association with a priest who works for ICE.

The Justice Department’s quick investigation into the church protest contradicts its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Judd’s killing. Deputy District Attorney Todd Blanche said last week that there was “no basis” for a civil rights investigation into her death.

Department officials said the officer acted in self-defense and that the driver of the Honda was involved in a “domestic terrorist act” when she approached him. But the decision not to investigate the department’s Civil Rights Division represents a sharp departure from previous administrations, which moved quickly to investigate shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials.

The Justice Department separately opened an investigation into whether Minnesota officials obstructed or obstructed enforcement of federal immigration laws through their public statements. Prosecutors this week sent subpoenas to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kawley Herr, and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The judge rejects the charges against a journalist

A magistrate judge rejected federal prosecutors’ attempt to charge journalist Don Lemon in connection with a church protest, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly.

Lemon was among those who entered the church. Lemon said he was not affiliated with the protest organizers and was there dating as a journalist.

“Once the protest started at the church, we did journalism where we reported on it and talked to the people involved, including the pastor, church members and members of the organization,” Lemon said in a video posted on social media. “That’s it. This is called journalism.”

It was not immediately clear what the Justice Department would do after the judge’s decision. Authorities could return to a magistrate judge to file a criminal complaint again or indict Limon before a grand jury.

CNN, which fired Lemon in 2023, was the first to report the ruling.

The Vice President visits Minnesota

Vance, a Republican, arrived amid tense interactions between federal immigration enforcement and residents. State and local elected officials opposed the crackdown, which became a major focus of DHS campaigns.

His visit comes less than a month after the murder of Rene Judd. He called Judd’s death “a tragedy of her own making.”

Vance said early Thursday that the “radical left” has decided that the United States should not have borders.

“If you want to end the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement and accept that we have to have borders in this country. It’s not that hard,” Vance said.

A federal appeals court this week blocked a decision that barred immigration officers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the ruling that prohibited retaliation, including detention of people following customers in cars.

After the court’s suspension, Greg Bovino, the US Border Patrol official who has led the administration’s migration push into major cities, was seen on video repeatedly warning protesters on a snow-covered Minneapolis street “Gas is coming!” Before throwing a can that released green smoke into the crowd.

Bovino, speaking Thursday during a news conference, urged better cooperation from local and state officials in Minnesota, blaming an “influx of anarchists” for anti-ICE sentiment.

“The current climate facing law enforcement…is not very favorable right now in Minneapolis,” he said. The Associated Press left messages for the Minneapolis Police Department requesting a response to Bovino’s comments.

Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Chris Megerian in Washington; Corey Williams in Detroit; Jack Dora in Bismarck, North Dakota contributed.