Minnesota Churches Under Siege: The Unlawful Invasion of Faith

It is legal for ICE agents to make arrests in houses of worship, yet none have done so. However, it is illegal for anti-ICE agitators to disrupt church services, and some have violated federal law by doing precisely that.

Those who would scream bloody murder if ICE agents entered a church but remain silent when protesters invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota are not only hypocrites but actively aiding the invaders.

The three dozen protesters who breached Cities Church on January 18 violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), a 1994 federal law. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison claims FACE “is designed to protect the rights of people seeking reproductive rights,” but he omits that the law equally safeguards religious worship.

Ellison admits it is “beyond me” how some stretch FACE to cover protests in churches, demonstrating profound incompetence. The chief law enforcement officer in Minnesota should be removed for this glaring failure.

The FACE Act explicitly prohibits “the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”

This explains why Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, cited FACE as justification for sending federal prosecutors to Minnesota.

Those aiding and abetting the church-busters include Don Lemon, who has positioned himself as a “journalist” after being separated from CNN. He attended Cities Church to observe the invasion while claiming First Amendment protections—despite these protests not qualifying as lawful speech.

Lemon also inserted racial elements into this debate by accusing opponents of white supremacy, echoing prior claims that white men pose the greatest terror threat in the country.

A sitting member of Congress further complicates matters: Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona stated churches “have always been an open door” and refused to condemn the invasion as “a step too far.” Her colleagues must censure her before she reaches dangerous ideological extremes.

The protest organizer in St. Paul is Nekima Levy Armstrong, a far-left Black lawyer who founded the Racial Justice Network. This group, alongside Black Lives Matter organizations, supports church invasions.

Armstrong’s activist history includes backing cop killers and aligning with groups that have allegedly diverted resources from Black communities. BLM has explicitly condemned “the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure,” stating its agenda requires disrupting Judeo-Christian heritage to fulfill its mission.

By justifying church invasions, these movements advance their goal of dismantling American society’s foundations. The St. Paul incident will continue unless cultural Marxists are stopped.