Anti-ICE Activists Storm Minnesota Church, Disrupt Worship Over Alleged Pastor Ties to Law Enforcement
What should have been a peaceful Sunday worship service in St. Paul, Minnesota was instead hijacked by a mob of anti-ICE activists who stormed into a local church, chanting slogans and interrupting Christian worship over a politically motivated grievance.
Video circulating online shows demonstrators entering Cities Church mid-service, shouting “Justice for Renee Good” and other chants while positioning themselves inside the sanctuary as the pastor attempted to speak. The group claimed they were targeting the church because one of its pastors allegedly has ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Let that sink in: activists now believe it is acceptable to invade houses of worship and intimidate congregations simply because someone inside may work for the federal government.
The pastor at the center of the controversy shares a name with the acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office, though it remains unclear whether the two are actually the same person. That didn’t stop the mob from acting as judge, jury, and executioner—deciding on their own that the church was a legitimate political target.
From Protest to Persecution
Federal officials quickly condemned the incident, and rightly so.
The Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation to determine whether federal protections for religious worship were violated. DHS blasted the incident as part of a growing pattern in which activists are no longer just targeting officers—but now churches as well.
This is not peaceful protest.
This is intimidation.
This is what happens when radical activism is normalized and political leaders refuse to draw clear moral lines.
Churches are supposed to be sanctuaries—not battlegrounds for political vendettas.
A Dangerous Escalation
The protest follows weeks of unrest across the Twin Cities after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent earlier this month. That tragedy is now being used to justify increasingly aggressive behavior against federal officers—and now, private citizens and worshippers.
Rather than encouraging calm and lawful discourse, some political leaders have chosen to fan the flames, excusing or downplaying conduct that would be immediately condemned if it targeted almost any other protected group.
Imagine the reaction if a group stormed a mosque, synagogue, or temple over a political grievance.
There would be national outrage—and rightly so.
Yet when Christians are targeted, the silence from many corners is deafening.
Faith Under Fire
The White House weighed in, warning that intimidation of Christians in their places of worship will not be tolerated. Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to prosecute any violations of federal law tied to the incident.
As well they should.
Freedom of religion does not disappear because activists are angry.
The Constitution does not take a back seat to mob rule.
If Americans allow churches to become acceptable targets for political harassment, no institution is truly safe.
This wasn’t about justice.
It was about power.
And it crossed a line that should concern every citizen who values faith, law, and basic civil order.