In brief
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has reported two more arrests related to a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, raising the total arrests to nine. The individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, face federal civil rights charges for allegedly disrupting worship by protesting against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions. The indictment accuses participants of chanting and interfering with the congregation during services led by a pastor associated with ICE. The situation has drawn national attention and sparked a debate about civil rights and immigration enforcement.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday announced two more arrests following a protest at a Minnesota church against the immigration crackdown, bringing the number of people arrested to nine.
The nine were named in a grand jury indictment unsealed Friday. Independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were among four people arrested Friday. Three others were arrested earlier in the week, including prominent local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.
A grand jury in Minnesota indicted all nine on federal civil rights charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the January 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul. A pastor at the church is also a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The protest generated strong objections from the Trump administration.
In a social media post Monday, Bondi named the latest two arrestees as Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson. She provided no specifics about their arrests.
Lemon, who was recently fired from CNN, claims he had no direct association with the protest group. He characterized himself as an independent journalist documenting the actions of protesters.
The indictment alleges that Richardson accompanied Lemon to the church while streaming and expressed a concern to catch up to the rest of the protestors. It further claims that Austin shouted questions at the pastor about Christian nationalism, disrupting the service.
The Justice Department's investigation commenced after the protest group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” a reference to a woman fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and one of its pastors, David Easterwood, heads ICE’s St. Paul field office.
