A February 2026 superseding indictment expanded the Cities Church protest case to 39 defendants. The January 18 protest in St. Paul targeted pastor David Easterwood’s role as a local ICE official.
Prosecutors charged conspiracy against religious freedom and interference with religious exercise at a place of worship. They alleged that the disruption intimidated worshippers and caused the service to end. Those allegations remain for the court to determine.
Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort pleaded not guilty and said they attended to document the protest. Their defense raises the question of when reporting on an event is being treated as participation in an alleged offense.
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/3/3/headlines/doj_indicts_another_30_people_over_minnesota_church_protest_of_pastor_who_works_for_ice
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/28/trump-administration-charges-30-more-people-for-minnesota-church-protest
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/justice-department-indicts-30-anti-ice-church-protest-rcna261021
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/g-s1-106899/minnesota-church-protest-arrests-pam-bondi-don-lemon
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/19/us/st-paul-minnesota-church-protest-investigation
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/doj-says-it-will-investigate-press-charges-after-activists-disrupt-church-where-minnesota-ice-official-is-a-pastor
https://x.com/democracynow/status/2028931673174184413
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/cities-church-case-information
