(Alpha News): Anti-ICE leftists stormed a St. Paul church Sunday morning and shut down the worship service after learning that one of the church’s pastors allegedly works as an ICE agent.
“This is unacceptable, it’s shameful,” the lead pastor of Cities Church, Jonathan Parnell, said to Don Lemon, who was present and livestreaming the protest. “It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.”
One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, allegedly works as an ICE agent in St. Paul.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, an activist, said they were there to let the church know “this will not stand.” She went on, “They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is directing ICE agents.” Armstrong was the individual who initiated the disruption inside the church, yelling as the lead pastor finished a prayer.
Armstrong was accompanied by at least 20 other people who chanted things like, “Renee Good” and “Hands up. Don’t shoot.” The church emptied of most of its congregants and the activists dissipated about 45 minutes later once St. Paul police officers arrived.
“They meant evil against us, but God meant it for good,” Parnell said in a statement to Alpha News regarding the incident.
“They waited until the sermon started. From there it just got really out of control,” a church member who wished to remain anonymous shared with Alpha News. The church member said that the scene was chaotic, with many women and children crying.
“It was really scary, it felt like it was on the verge of violence,” he said. He explained that one of the main agitators was getting up in the faces of women and children and screaming at them.
“I feel that we did what needed to be done,” Armstrong said while being interviewed by Lemon outside the church building.
When Lemon asked Armstrong what happens next, she said, “It depends on this church. I know that this church will never be the same after today. I think that the people who worship here will have to decide which side are they on. The side of the Lord, truth, righteousness, or justice, or the side that pretends to be on the Lord’s, while harboring someone who is helping to perpetuate evil on our community.”
Armstrong posted on Facebook following the incident, listing several co-organizers of the disruption, which included Monique Cullars Doty, Chauntyll Allen, and Satara Strong-Allen. “It’s time for judgment to begin and it will begin in the House of God!” Armstrong wrote.
Another individual who participated goes by the moniker “Da Woke Farmer” and posted a video of the faces of people sitting in the church service, ranting about “white people who are living lavish, comfortable lives.”
“No rest for demons,” he wrote in the caption. Later on in the video, he can be seen harassing the family of one of the pastors as they get into their van.
The church member who spoke with Alpha News said that he had to help hold the protesters back so that the pastor’s wife could leave with her kids.
Kevin Ezell who serves on the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention posted a reaction on X, saying that he spoke with a pastor at the church and that “the kids in the worship service were terrified.”
“To violate the sanctity of a worship service in this way is shocking and beyond unacceptable,” Ezell said.
A Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor posted on X, saying that it was “utterly despicable.”
“There is no constitutional right to protest a private religious assembly. What Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have unleashed in their regime of disorder and lawlessness is shameful,” Andrew Walker wrote.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced in an X post that the Department of Justice is investigating the incident for potential FACE Act violations, calling it “infuriating conduct” and “demonic.”
The official ICE X account slammed the protesters. “Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the agency said. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”
“President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” added White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the despicable incident that took place earlier today at a church in Minnesota.”
