Minnesota [US], January 19 (ANI): President Donald Trump has sharply condemned an incident in Minnesota in which anti-ICE demonstrators entered a church during a worship service on Sunday, local time. The US president said federal authorities will not tolerate interference with religious worship.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that President Trump would not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship. She added that the Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the incident that took place earlier in the day at a church in Minnesota.
The disruption occurred at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a group of protesters entered the sanctuary during a Sunday service following online claims that one of the church’s pastors also serves in a senior role with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Videos circulating on social media showed chanting demonstrators inside the church as services were underway, raising immediate concern from federal authorities, Fox News reported. Protesters were heard chanting slogans such as “Justice for Renee Good” and “ICE out” while confronting worshippers.
The demonstration is part of a broader wave of protests that have erupted across the Minneapolis–St. Paul area following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident who was shot by an ICE agent earlier this month. The case has intensified tensions between federal agencies and local communities.
In response to the church incident, the Department of Justice announced it has opened a civil rights investigation to determine whether federal laws were violated. In a post from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said federal prosecutors are examining whether demonstrators desecrated a house of worship and interfered with Christian worshippers, invoking the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which also protects houses of worship from obstruction.
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security also condemned the protest. In a statement, DHS said agitators were now targeting churches in addition to law enforcement officers, accusing them of moving from location to location in search of federal officials. The department also blamed state and local authorities, alleging they failed to prevent the unrest.
Local Minnesota leaders offered a different interpretation of the events. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, rejected descriptions of the protests as lawless and said the federal enforcement presence has left many residents feeling targeted rather than protected. “This is not about safety. What this is about is coming into our city by the thousands and terrorizing people simply because they’re Latino or Somali,” Frey said, describing the demonstrations as peaceful advocacy for community members. (ANI)
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