DOJ Arrests 3 Over Minn. Church Protest: ‘We Will Protect Americans of Faith’
Michael Foust
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
The U.S. Department of Justice has made three arrests tied to Sunday’s anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church under federal laws protecting the constitutional right to worship.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday announced the arrests of Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly, alleging they helped organize the protest that interrupted a Sunday morning worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.
Minutes ago at my direction, @HSI_HQ and @FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 22, 2026
So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, 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…
“Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution,” Bondi wrote on X/Twitter. “Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country. We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith.”
A second arrest has been made.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 22, 2026
Chauntyll Louisa Allen is now in custody, also on an alleged violation of the FACE Act - after targeting Cities Church in Minneapolis last weekend.@AGPamBondi @HSI_HQ @TheJusticeDept https://t.co/wqmoIScLTJ
A THIRD subject has now been arrested connected to targeting Cities Church in Minneapolis Sunday.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 22, 2026
William Kelly is now in custody. @AGPamBondi @HSI_HQ @FBIMinneapolis https://t.co/6nM5R6wIAc
It is not known what specific charges the three face, although Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon previously said protesters were being investigated for violating the FACE Act, a 1990s law that is best known for protecting access to abortion clinics but that also safeguards religious liberty.
Specifically, the FACE Act says that anyone who, “by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes” with “any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship” is guilty of violating the law. A first-time offender would face a fine and up to one year in prison.
Cities Church released a statement this week calling on “local, state, and national leaders to protect this fundamental right” to worship.
“They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat,” the church said in a statement. “Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated. Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus – or any other act of worship – is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.”
The church added it welcomes “respectful dialogue about present issues” and “about how the realness of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, provides the only final answers to the world’s most complex and intractable problems.”
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kali9
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
