Two women have been arrested for disrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a pastor who also serves as a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official was leading worship, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.
The arrests of Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and former Minneapolis NAACP president, and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, a member of St. Paul’s school board, come amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Both women are facing charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits interfering with religious services, according to federal authorities.
“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi wrote on X.
The arrests stem from a Sunday incident at Cities Church where protesters interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. The Justice Department quickly opened a civil rights investigation into the church disruption.
Levy Armstrong had previously called for the pastor affiliated with ICE to resign, saying his dual role poses a “fundamental moral conflict.” She stated, “You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities.”
The arrests come as Vice President JD Vance is set to visit Minnesota. Speaking in Toledo ahead of his visit, Vance criticized the protesters, saying they scared “little kids” and promised, “Those people are going to be sent to prison so long as we have the power to do so.”
The FACE Act prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking to participate in a service at a house of worship. The Trump administration has previously criticized the use of this law against anti-abortion protesters during the Biden administration.
The swift investigation into the church disruption contrasts with the Justice Department’s decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Good’s killing by an ICE officer. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week there is “no basis” at this time for such an investigation.
Meanwhile, federal authorities have opened a separate investigation into whether Minnesota officials impeded federal immigration enforcement through their public statements. Prosecutors have sent subpoenas to several state and local officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
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