On January 22, 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that federal agents had arrested three people for their roles in storming a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The arrests named Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly, and came after video of the disruption drew national outrage over the violation of a sacred place of worship. This swift action by the Department of Justice sends a clear message that lawlessness inside churches will not be tolerated.
The incident occurred on January 18 when a crowd entered the church during a Sunday service, chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renée Good,” and confronting congregants and clergy in a way that frightened children and halted worship. Protesters targeted a pastor who also works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but invading a sanctuary in the name of protest crossed the line from speech to intimidation. Americans of faith watched in horror as the left’s mob tactics invaded a place meant for peace and reflection.
Pam Bondi made clear she directed the arrests and emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for attacks on places of worship, invoking federal statutes that prohibit conspiracies to interfere with constitutional rights. The Justice Department’s move to use civil-rights statutes underscores how egregious this disruption was; the law exists to protect religious freedom, not to be a shield for activists who want to intimidate. Conservatives should applaud enforcement when the rule of law is restored, not apologize for it.
Even as federal agents closed in on organizers, the episode exposed the uneven treatment of those who enable such chaos. A Minnesota magistrate judge declined to sign off on charges against journalist Don Lemon for his presence and live-streaming of the event, a decision that inflamed conservative critics who see a double standard between how journalists and ordinary Americans are held accountable. Lemon’s lawyer invoked First Amendment protections, but many patriots feel it’s galling that media personalities can tiptoe around consequences while ordinary citizens are condemned for far less.
Court proceedings so far have been messy: a magistrate scratched out at least one charge for lack of probable cause and denied requests to detain two of the defendants, ordering releases under conditions that keep them in Minnesota and away from the church. Those judicial choices have convinced many on the right that the fight is not over — federal prosecutors can still pursue other avenues, and Americans rightly expect meaningful accountability when houses of worship are targeted. Law and order must mean fair process, but it must also mean consequences for intimidation.
Republican leaders from the administration and Congress quickly backed the arrests, arguing that protecting religious exercise is nonpartisan and fundamental to the country’s moral fabric. Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security officials publicly supported the Justice Department’s actions, while local church attorneys hailed the arrests as necessary to prevent repeat attacks. This should be a wake-up call: when the left’s activists weaponize public sympathy to bully and disrupt, conservatives must demand that our institutions defend worshippers.
Ultimately this episode is about more than one church or one protest; it’s about whether America remains a place where people can worship without fear. The Bondi-led intervention was the kind of decisive enforcement that restores confidence in the rule of law, and patriotic Americans should stand with churches and communities that seek to protect their sanctuaries. If our leaders will not defend religious freedom, then voters must elect those who will, and hardworking citizens should keep pressing for accountability at every level.
