In brief
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights activist, was arrested after leading a protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest was aimed at a local ICE official who serves as the church's pastor and was catalyzed by the recent shooting of a mother by an ICE officer. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department have initiated civil rights investigations in response to the incident, and prominent leaders have defended the church's sanctity amidst growing tensions.
MINNEAPOLIS – A woman who led an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church has been arrested, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday. Bondi announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong in a post on X just days after protesters entered the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as a pastor.The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation following the protest, during which demonstrators chanted 'ICE out' and 'Justice for Renee Good.' The chants were in honor of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.'Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,' Bondi stated on X.Levy Armstrong, known for her activism and legal work in civil rights, called for the pastor's resignation, asserting that his dual role poses a 'fundamental moral conflict.' She expressed that, 'You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities.'Levy Armstrong criticized officials for protecting armed agents and not thoroughly investigating killings like Good's, stating that it sends a message that they may also pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, which is not justice but rather intimidation.In response to these events, leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention have rallied in defense of the church, arguing that while compassion for migrant families affected by immigration enforcement is important, it does not justify the disruption of worship services.
