ICYMI: 30 More People Charged in Minnesota Church Storming, with 25 Already Arrested, AG Bondi Says; 39 Now Charged in St. Paul Church Protest Against ICE as Additional Arrests are Made

30 more people charged in Minnesota church storming, with 25 already arrested, AG Bondi says:

The Trump administration has charged 30 more people for their alleged involvement in storming a Minnesota church during an anti-ICE demonstration last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.

“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you,” Bondi wrote in a post on X announcing the busts.

“At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day,” she wrote.

At least nine others, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, have previously been cuffed for the protest that took place at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 18.

Lemon has maintained he can’t be held criminally, claiming he was merely reporting the news of the demonstration.

The protesters disrupted the church service after discovering that one of the church’s pastors shares a name with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The Post has not been able to verify that the St. Paul ICE director and the pastor are the same person.

The “agitators” entered the church in a “coordinated takeover-style attack,” intimidating and obstructing worshippers, the indictment alleges. --->READ MORE HERE

KARE 11

39 now charged in St. Paul church protest against ICE as additional arrests are made:

Attorney General Pam Bondi said 30 additional people were charged on Friday, in addition to the nine people previously charged.

Several additional arrests have been made in connection with a St. Paul church protest last month that already saw the high-profile arrests of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon, as well as attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.

Court documents obtained by KARE 11 show a total of 39 people are now charged in connection with the case, in which a group entered Cities church on Jan. 18 to protest against Pastor David Easterwood, saying he also holds a local leadership position with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on social media that 30 additional people were charged on Friday following nine previous arrests. Bondi said 25 of the new defendants were taken into custody by federal agents Friday, with more arrests expected.

According to a federal indictment, all 39 defendants are charged with two counts: "Conspiracy Against Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship," as well as "Injure, Intimidate, and Interfere with Exercise of Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship."

KARE's Lou Raguse said sources reported those arrested were taken to the federal courthouse in St. Paul, where made their first court appearances Friday afternoon.

The indictment alleges the defendants "entered the Church to conduct a takeover-style attack and engage in various acts in furtherance of the conspiracy." It claims the defendants "collectively oppressed, threatened, and intimidated the Church's congregants and pastors, by physically occupying most of the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the Church, engaging in menacing and threatening behavior."

The indictment also lists several "overt acts" allegedly committed by the defendants, specifically citing several individuals by name for sharing a flyer about the protest on their personal Facebook accounts.

Lemon, Fort, Armstrong, and several other activists were previously taken into custody by federal authorities and subsequently released in the days following the protest. At least five of them have now pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges.

"For more than 30 years, I've been a journalist, and the power and protection of the First Amendment has been the underpinning of my work," Lemon told reporters following his court appearance earlier in the month. "The events before my arrest and what's happened since, so that people are finally realizing what this administration is all about. The process is the punishment with them. And like all of you here in Minnesota, the great people of Minnesota, I will not be intimidated. I will not back down. I will fight these baseless charges, and I will not be silenced." --->READ MORE HERE

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