DOJ Announces Two More Arrests in St. Paul Cities Church Storming

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday that federal agents have arrested Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson in connection with what she called a "coordinated attack" on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where anti‑ICE protesters recently disrupted a service. The brief announcement, posted on social media and confirmed to Fox, indicates the Justice Department is continuing to build criminal cases over the church storming, which has already produced charges against other participants including journalist Don Lemon under civil‑rights statutes. Bondi warned, "If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you," signaling DOJ intends to treat invasions of churches during anti‑ICE actions as serious federal offenses, not just local disorderly conduct. The arrests fold into a wider national fight over how far federal prosecutors will go in using civil‑rights and FACE‑style laws against demonstrators who disrupt religious services as part of immigration protests, and whether such cases cross into criminalizing political dissent. Details on the specific counts Austin and Richardson face were not yet released, suggesting more formal charging documents and potential court appearances are forthcoming.