Bondi says federal agents arrested 25 people over anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that federal agents arrested 25 people over an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church last month.”Today, @thejusticedept unsealed an indictment charging 30 more people who took part in the attack on Cities Church in Minnesota,” Bondi posted on X.
“At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day. YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News that the arrests showed that the bureau would not tolerate attacks against peaceful worshipers.
“Today’s FACE Act arrests with our federal partners show this FBI will never tolerate those who target, attack, or intimidate Americans peacefully exercising their right to worship freely,” Patel said in a statement.
“To date, 39 individuals have been indicted over their role in the January 18th targeting on Cities Church — with multiple arrests already occurring last month including Don Lemon. Thanks to our FBI Minneapolis team for their tremendous work, as well as great HSI partners and Attorney General Bondi’s DOJ for their relentless pursuit of justice,” he added.
Lemon and the church protesters were arrested and are facing federal charges that include conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedoms, under what is known as the federal FACE Act, after the protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul.
Protesters at the church demanded that one of its pastors resign, saying he also serves as the acting director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Minneapolis.
The indictment that was unsealed on Friday alleged that the agitators took part “in a coordinated takeover-style attack and engaged in acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction.”
“As a result of [the] defendants’ conduct, the pastor and congregation were forced to terminate the church’s worship service, congregants fled the church building out of fear for their safety, other congregants took steps to implement an emergency plan, and young children were left to wonder, as one child put it, if their parents were going to die,” the indictment reads.
The defendants identified in the indictment are Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, William Scott Kelly, Don Renaldo Lemon, Jerome Deangelo Richardson, Jamael Lydell Lundy, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Ellyse Fort, Ian Davis Austin, Aziza Mohammed Aboud, Max Richard Adamson, Michael Walker Beute, Ezra Chaim Pye Blumenfeld, Shane Ryan Bollman, Kelly Ann Carey, Monique Cassandra Cullars-Doty, Tiffany Lynn Dunlap, Andrew Jared Edwards, Rachel Rose Goligoski, Amelia Cristin Hansa, Ariel Hauptman, Krista Erin Hogan, Heather Danielle Lewis, Danielle Andrea Matthias, Catie Anne Michaelson, Eric Ryan Michaelson, David Anthony Okar, Jarmel James Perry, Cheryl Ann Persigehl, Emmar Monike Pineda-Moreno , Spencer Michael Rodriguez-Bocanegra, Katherine Elizabeth Shaw, Satara Diann Strong Allen, Charles Lee Swenson, Robyn Elise Swenson, Thomas Matthew Tier, Lee Elizabeth Wiedeman Tuggle, John Donald Vergin, and Mark David Weinfurter.
The indictment alleges that the protesters “conspired and agreed with one another to oppress, threaten, and intimidate multiple persons, including the clergy, staff, and congregants of the Cities Church.”
According to the indictment, Armstrong, Allen, Strong, and Cullars-Doty, along with others, “organized” the protest, which they dubbed “Operation Pullup.” They allegedly promoted it on social media and met at a shopping center prior to the church disruption to coordinate it, per the indictment.
“Once at the Church, all of the defendants entered the Church to conduct a takeover-style attack and engaged in various acts in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment reads.
The defendants are also accused of “aiding and abetting one another, by use of force, threat of force, and physical obstruction, intentionally injured, intimidated, and interfered with, and attempted to injure, intimidate, and interfere with multiple persons” who were trying to worship.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon allegedly followed the protesters into the church and spoke with the pastor.
“This is unacceptable, it’s shameful. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship,” Cities Church lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said when Lemon asked for his reaction to the crowd storming the church. “I have to take care of my flock.”
Lemon was charged with conspiracy to deprive religious freedom rights and a violation of the FACE Act and pleaded not guilty.

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