DHS chief vows arrests after protest in St. Paul church
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Newsmax Tuesday night that there will be arrests "in the next several hours" of people involved in a protest that disrupted Sunday worship at Cities Church in St. Paul, where activists marched into the sanctuary to denounce Pastor David Easterwood over what they say is his role as a Minnesota ICE leader. Noem called the disruption unlawful but did not say how many people would be charged or on what counts, signaling federal or joint federal‑local enforcement under laws that protect access to houses of worship. Earlier Tuesday, civil‑rights attorney and reverend Nekima Levy Armstrong and Black Lives Matter Minnesota co‑founder Monique Cullers led a news conference at the Hennepin County Government Center demanding Easterwood resign and defending the protest as a response to the ICE surge. Cities Church, in a statement, accused the group of "agitating," frightening children, and unlawfully invading a religious service, saying such conduct "will not be tolerated" even as it professed openness to "respectful dialogue" about current issues. The clash drops Cities Church and its pastor squarely into the broader Twin Cities fight over Operation Metro Surge, with a senior cabinet official now publicly promising to make examples of those who took their protest into the pews.
📌 Key Facts
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday night there will be arrests "in the next several hours" tied to Sunday’s protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul.
- Protesters, led in part by Nekima Levy Armstrong and Monique Cullers, entered the service to denounce Pastor David Easterwood over an alleged leadership role with ICE and are now calling for his resignation.
- Cities Church issued a statement calling the disruption "shameful" and "unlawful," saying it frightened children and would not be tolerated, while asserting that worship disruptions are not protected by scripture or U.S. law.
- The promised arrests come amid a broader ICE surge in the Twin Cities, with federal and local leaders already locked in legal and political battles over immigration enforcement tactics.
📊 Relevant Data
David Easterwood is the acting field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in St. Paul, Minnesota, while also serving as a pastor at Cities Church.
Protesters interrupt St. Paul church service, say pastor works as ICE director in field office — MPR News
Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities is a large-scale ICE operation launched in December 2025, described as the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever, targeting dangerous criminal illegal aliens including rapists, gang members, and perpetrators of fraud.
2,000 federal agents sent to Minneapolis area to carry out 'largest' immigration operation ever, ICE says — PBS NewsHour
Somali immigrants in Minnesota have crime rates that are two to five times higher than natives when compared apples-to-apples.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Minnesota has the largest Somali diaspora in the United States, with an estimated 80,000 to 260,000 people of Somali descent, primarily resettled as refugees from the Somali civil war through U.S. refugee programs starting in the 1990s.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
In Operation Metro Surge, arrests include Venezuelan immigrants involved in crimes, such as a Venezuelan migrant with prior convictions who was shot during an ICE operation.
DHS identifies illegal immigrants involved in second Minneapolis ICE shooting — KUTV
The Somali community in Minnesota was resettled through voluntary agencies (volags) such as Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, facilitated by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota — MNopedia
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time