On Sunday morning, January 18, 2026, a band of roughly 30 activists burst into Cities Church in St. Paul and brought worship to a halt with chanting, whistles, and accusations aimed at a pastor they say also works for ICE. Video from the scene shows protesters shouting “ICE out” and “Hands up, don’t shoot” while disrupting the service, and independent commentator Don Lemon followed the crowd into the building and streamed parts of the confrontation.
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the intrusion violated the FACE Act and federal protections for houses of worship, calling the disruption a serious matter that demands enforcement. Federal officials are right to treat the invasion of a church during worship as more than mere protest theater; places of worship are entitled to special protections under the law.
Church leaders at Cities Church responded with understandable outrage, saying the interruption was “shameful” and that the congregation was there to worship, not to be lectured or harassed by political agitators. Lead pastor Jonathan Parnell asked the cameras and protesters to leave the sanctuary so his congregation could pray, a reasonable appeal that should have been respected rather than ignored.
The protesters said their aim was to confront Pastor David Easterwood, whom public filings identify as the acting ICE field office director in Minnesota and who is also listed on the church’s website as a pastor. That overlap raises legitimate questions that can be and should be pursued through courts, records requests, and public hearings — not by storming Sunday services and terrorizing worshippers.
What happened inside Cities Church is emblematic of a larger decay: media figures and activist networks now treat sacred spaces as stages for spectacle. Don Lemon’s presence and documentation of the incident turned a solemn moment into content, highlighting how parts of the media elite feed performative outrage while normalizing disrespect for private religious gatherings.
There are two separate grievances here that deserve careful, lawful attention: alleged misconduct by law enforcement and the right of congregations to worship in peace. Some civil-rights advocates understandably want answers about ICE tactics and the death of Renee Good, but answering those questions through trespass and intimidation will only undermine their cause and invite federal prosecution.
The proper response is for authorities to secure the sanctuary and hold anyone who trespassed or used forcefully intimidating tactics accountable, while also ensuring a full and transparent probe into the ICE actions that sparked the outrage. Law and order, transparency, and respect for religious liberty are not contradictory; they are the foundations of a civilized republic that both conservatives and genuine reformers should defend.
America’s churches should never be battlefields for political grandstanding, and journalists should not amplify unlawful disruptions in the name of a narrative. If the goal is reform, pursue it within the rule of law — not by treating Sunday worship as another platform for chaos. The courts, Congress, and the electorate can settle these disputes; vandalism of worship services must not become the new normal.
