Federal agents arrest activists over church ICE protest
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Nekima Levy Armstrong at a Jan. 8 press conference. Photo: Elizabeth Flores/The Star Tribune via Getty Images
Federal agents arrested former NAACP Minneapolis chapter leader Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Allen after they protested the church of a pastor who they said runs a local ICE field office, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced.
Why it matters: The arrests mark a new front in the administration's showdown in Minnesota where thousands of federal agents have blanketed the streets prompting widespread protest.
The latest: In a post on X, Bondi accused Levy Armstrong of playing a "key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul" on Sunday.
- "Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," she wrote, adding that there was "more to come."
Catch up quick: Protestors disrupted service at a church in the affluent neighborhood on historic Summit Avenue after learning one of its pastors is the acting director of St. Paul's ICE field office.
What they're saying: Levy Armstrong has defended the protest, telling MPR News, "You expect someone to align with the teachings of Christianity. Loving thy neighbor, showing care for each other and spreading the Good News. However, when you are also serving as the director of the ICE office in St Paul … that's a problem."
Driving the news: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X that Armstrong was being charged with conspiracy against rights.
- Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department's civil rights office, has said officials are looking at using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act.
What we're watching: Dhillon has put Don Lemon, who recorded the protest, "on notice" and some conservatives have called for his arrest.
- But several outlets, including CNN, reported Thursday that a federal magistrate judge blocked the DOJ's attempt to bring charges against him.
- Lemon told Fox News he was covering the protest as a journalist.
Between the lines: University of Minnesota media ethics and law professor Jane Kirtley told MPR claiming Lemon is a co-conspirator would be difficult.
- "If you're reporting, if you're expressing ideas, that's not material support. That can't be seen as conspiracy. It's a narrow exception. But the question would be whether there is actually evidence that Don Lemon was doing anything other than just reporting on the activities that day at the church."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional news.