Pastor Condemns Protesters After Anti-ICE Demonstration at Minneapolis Church 'Shameful'
Anti-ICE protesters disrupted a Sunday service at a Southern Baptist Church in Minneapolis as they accused the pastor of working for ICE.
Activists with the Racial Justice Network held a demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, led by senior pastor Jonathan Parnell, who had been preaching at the time of the incident. They accused one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, of allegedly working as the acting field office director for ICE in Minnesota, Fox 9 reported.
“Shocking footage from Cities Church in Minneapolis this morning (an SBC church) where an anti-ICE mob stormed the service and disrupted their worship, alleging one of the church’s lead pastors is an ICE agent,” The Center For Baptist Leadership stated on X, along with posting video footage of the protest.
Easterwood, however, did not appear to be present during Sunday’s service, which was forced to conclude due to the disruption.
The protest was documented by former CNN anchor turned YouTuber Don Lemon, while Black Lives Matter Minnesota also aired video of protesters chanting during services.
"This cannot be a house of God while harboring someone directing ICE agents to wreak havoc on our community," attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong told Lemon during his livestream, explaining why the group was at the church. "I am a reverend on top of being a lawyer and an activist, so I come here in the power of the almighty God."
According to The Christian Post, the protesters were believed to have chanted slogans such as "ICE out!" and demanded justice for Renee Good, the woman who died after being shot by an ICE officer earlier this month.
Parnell, who was interviewed by Lemon during the protest, called the interruption “shameful.”
“This is unacceptable. It's shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship,” Parnell said. “We are here to worship Jesus. That’s why we are here.”
U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon wrote on X on Sunday that the incident is under investigation by the agency for “potential criminal violations of federal law.”
“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest!” Dhillon wrote. “It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice!”
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that she has spoken to the church’s pastor.
“I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” she wrote on X.
“If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
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Originally published January 19, 2026.
