Federal authorities have arrested an alleged organizer of a recent disruption at a Minnesota church, escalating a politically charged confrontation over protests, immigration enforcement, and the limits of dissent inside houses of worship.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that federal agents took Nekima Levy Armstrong into custody, identifying her as a protester “who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
“We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi wrote on social platform X.
The arrest follows a Sunday service at Cities Church that was interrupted by demonstrators while lead pastor Jonathan Parnell was delivering his sermon. Bondi said she had spoken directly with Parnell after the incident.
During the disruption, protesters also accused another pastor, David Easterwood, of having ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an allegation that intensified tensions inside the church.
The incident quickly drew national attention. President Trump weighed in Tuesday, calling for those involved to face prosecution after viewing footage of the disruption.
“Just watched footage of the Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists. These people are professionals! No person acts the way they act,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
“They are highly trained to scream, rant, and rave, like lunatics, in a certain manner, just like they are doing. They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country,” he added.
The confrontation unfolded against a broader backdrop of unrest in Minnesota. Tensions have risen in recent weeks following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, an incident that occurred amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown across blue-run cities.
Local officials have sharply criticized the federal response. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), reacting to reports of Armstrong’s arrest, accused federal authorities of selective enforcement.
“The federal government is picking and choosing who to investigate — going after protestors and not the person who shot and killed one of our neighbors,” Frey said.
“I am calling for Nekima to be released immediately,” he added in a post on X.
The legal environment surrounding ICE operations in Minnesota has also been in flux. A federal judge had temporarily limited ICE from using force during operations in the state, though those restrictions were later lifted by an appeals court.
Read More: US Freezes Visa Processing for 75 Countries Under Public Charge Review
