Activists demand Cities Church pastor–ICE official David Easterwood resign; DOJ probes protest under FACE Act
Activists led by Nekima Levy Armstrong and Monique Cullers interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants to demand that Pastor David Easterwood — who protesters say is the acting ICE Minnesota field office director — resign; the protest was livestreamed by Don Lemon and denounced by Pastor Jonathan Parnell. The DOJ Civil Rights Division and the FBI have opened an investigation under the FACE Act and related statutes and say they are likely to press federal charges for disrupting worship, even as Christian leaders and some congregants call for protecting worshippers’ rights and caution against turning houses of worship into protest battlegrounds.
📌 Key Facts
- Protesters interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants over pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as acting ICE Minnesota field office director.
- The action was led by community activists including Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullers and the Racial Justice Network, who publicly demanded Easterwood resign and framed his dual role as a moral and theological conflict; some organizers described ICE operations as 'terrorism' incompatible with ministry.
- Don Lemon livestreamed the protest; Pastor Jonathan Parnell denounced the disruption as 'shameful' and told Lemon to leave unless he was there to worship. Congregants reacted variously—calling for de‑escalation, some supporting the pastor, others uneasy about the church’s close ties to ICE.
- The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI have opened an investigation under the federal FACE Act and related statutes into whether the protesters illegally disrupted worship, and DOJ officials have said they will pursue federal charges rather than merely review the incident.
- Christian and other religious leaders in Minnesota urged protection of the right to worship without disruption, while warning that DOJ’s use of the FACE Act here could be 'two‑edged'—both safeguarding sanctuaries (including mosques and synagogues) and potentially chilling direct‑action tactics against officials who hold dual church–government roles.
- Cities Church has posted a formal statement in response to the protest and ensuing criticism.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali immigrants in Minnesota commit crimes at a higher rate than natives, with overrepresentation in fraud and violent crimes despite comprising a small percentage of the population.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
During Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, ICE arrested over 400 individuals, including violent gang members, child sex offenders, and domestic abusers, primarily targeting criminal noncitizens in the Somali community.
ICE Arrests Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens During Operation Metro Surge — Department of Homeland Security
The Somali community in Minnesota experiences multiple issues of violent crime and gang involvement, contributing to targeted ICE operations.
City of Saint Paul Police Department - African Immigrant Muslim Coordinated Outreach Program — Brennan Center
Fraud scandals involving members of the Somali community in Minnesota, including child nutrition programs, have prompted federal surges in immigration enforcement.
'Tip of a very large iceberg,' Feds surge response to Minnesota fraud investigations — WCTI12
Claims that 80% of crimes in the Twin Cities are committed by Somalis are inaccurate, as official data does not support this figure.
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer makes wildly inaccurate claim about Somali crime on national TV — Minnesota Reformer
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms and amplifies that community activists, led by Nekima (Nekiva) Levy Armstrong and Monique Cullers, are publicly demanding that Pastor David Easterwood resign from Cities Church because he is allegedly the acting ICE field director for Minnesota.
- Provides detailed quotes from Armstrong and Cullers framing Easterwood’s dual role as a moral and theological conflict, not just a political one, and describing ICE operations as 'terrorism' incompatible with ministry.
- Clarifies that DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is actively investigating the Sunday protest at Cities Church for potential FACE Act violations, focusing on whether protesters illegally disrupted worship.
- Notes that Cities Church has now posted a formal statement responding to the protest and criticism (though the text is only referenced here, not fully quoted).
- The piece reports statements from Christian and other religious leaders in Minnesota urging that, whatever people think of immigration enforcement, federal authorities must protect the right to worship without disruption and avoid turning churches into proxy battlegrounds for ICE politics.
- Some interviewees distinguish between protesting outside versus interrupting an active service, warning that barging into worship crosses a line and risks FACE Act charges even when the target is an ICE‑linked pastor.
- The article notes concern among clergy that DOJ’s use of the FACE Act in this context could become a two‑edged sword—chilling direct‑action tactics against officials who hold dual roles in churches and government, while at the same time setting clearer boundaries around sanctuaries—including mosques and synagogues—during this ICE surge.
- It adds context on how the congregation is responding internally (calls for de‑escalation, some members supporting the pastor’s federal role, others uneasy about the church being tied so closely to ICE), which wasn’t in the initial law‑enforcement‑centric coverage.
- DOJ officials are now publicly vowing to pursue federal charges against activists who disrupted the Cities Church service, not just ‘review’ the incident.
- The article more clearly frames the legal basis as potential violations of the federal FACE Act and related statutes protecting access to religious services.
- It adds additional detail on federal rhetoric, casting the action not only as a civil-rights review but a likely criminal case, raising stakes for local protesters.
- Confirms that protesters interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants specifically over pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as ICE’s acting Minnesota field office director.
- Details that protest leaders, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network, framed the action as targeting a church they say is ‘harboring’ the official overseeing ICE raids that are ‘wreaking havoc’ on immigrant communities.
- Reports that Don Lemon livestreamed the protest, Pastor Jonathan Parnell denounced the disruption as 'shameful' and told Lemon to leave unless he was there to worship, and that DOJ Civil Rights and the FBI have formally opened an investigation under the FACE Act and related statutes.