{"id":1185,"date":"2026-06-05T08:06:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2026-06-05T08:06:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T08:06:42","slug":"st-paul-city-attorney-drops-charges-against-cities-church-invaders-as-church-attorneys-blast-the-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1185","title":{"rendered":"St. Paul City Attorney Drops Charges Against Cities Church Invaders As Church Attorneys Blast The Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n

A St. Paul city attorney announced Tuesday that the state of Minnesota will not pursue charges against protesters who allegedly stormed into Cities Church in January.<\/p>\n

Read more Arizona Attorney General Plans To Re-Up Lawfare Against Trump Allies<\/a><\/p>\n

St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao said that prosecutors carefully examined videos, investigative reports and other resources before deciding there was insufficient evidence for filing criminal charges, according to a statement released Tuesday and cited by CBS News.<\/p>\n

Over 30 individuals, including former CNN host Don Lemon, were federally charged for their alleged involvement in the anti-ICE demonstration at the church.<\/p>\n

Kao stated that her office\u2019s decision hinged upon balancing \u201cequally important rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder,\u201d Kao said in the same statement. \u201cThe right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one\u2019s religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kao argued that violence and \u201cthreats to public safety\u201d did not occur at Cities Church.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, acts of violence, property destruction, or threats to public safety \u2013 none of which occurred here \u2013 remain serious concerns and will be prosecuted when supported by admissible evidence,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

Church attorneys from True North Legal blasted the city attorney\u2019s decision, arguing that it demonstrated the law\u2019s ability to \u201cbend\u201d with the politics of the powerful.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe St. Paul City Attorney\u2019s decision treats the church like it\u2019s a public sidewalk\u2014as if the sanctuary were an open forum that anyone may seize mid-service, rather than private property where a congregation has the right to worship undisturbed,\u201d said Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal, in a statement cited by the Daily Signal.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy wrongly characterizing the invasion and takeover of a worship service as First Amendment-protected conduct, the city attorney\u2019s office sends an unmistakable signal: The law will bend for those whose cause aligns with the politics of those in power,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Parnell, the lead pastor of Cities Church, described how this decision could set a precedent for protestors entering other religious establishments.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to the St. Paul City Attorney\u2019s logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, intimidate the families and children inside, and shut down their religious gathering. Just call it a \u2018protest,\u2019\u201d he said in an X post.<\/p>\n

Parnell further questioned Kao\u2019s commitment to protecting evangelical Christians.<\/p>\n

Read more Shein Is Shifting \u2014 And US Tariffs Aren\u2019t Keeping Up<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCity Attorney Irene Kao\u2019s decision not to charge the agitators who invaded our church on January 18, 2026, leaves us to question whether her commitment to protect religious people includes evangelical Christians,\u201d Parnell said, according to the Daily Signal.<\/p>\n

Dozens of protesters allegedly entered Cities Church in the middle of a Sunday worship service in January. Protestors alleged that David Easterwood \u2014 one of the church\u2019s pastors \u2014 served as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office director.<\/p>\n

At the time, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention put out a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group interrupted the service to demand the congregation denounce the federal government\u2019s immigration enforcement, specifically targeting the role of Pastor David Easterwood as a field office director for ICE,\u201d the statement read in part.<\/p>\n

The anti-ICE agitators allegedly \u201cengaged in acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction,\u201d according to the District of Minnesota United States Attorney\u2019s Office. (RELATED: ICE Agent Arrested Over Non-Fatal Shooting In Tim Walz\u2019s Minnesota)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n\"NEWARK,\n<\/div>\n

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY \u2013 JUNE 03: Protestors gather outside the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on June 03, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Protesters chanted \u201cICE Out!\u201d and \u201cWho shut this down? We shut this down!\u201d as they occupied the sanctuary, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment cited by the Daily Signal. They also allegedly blocked parishioners from leaving, stood in the way of parents trying to get their children from Sunday School and continued to scream as children cried, the outlet reported, citing the indictment.<\/p>\n

The suspects face felony charges of \u201cConspiracy Against Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship\u201d and a misdemeanor offense of \u201cInjure, Intimidate, and Interfere with Exercise of Right of Religious Freedom at Place of Worship,\u201d according to the District of Minnesota United States Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

The misdemeanor offense falls under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994. This act forbids threatening to use or using intimidation or physical means to stop someone from getting an abortion or exercising their right to religious freedom at places of worship.<\/p>\n

The Biden administration allegedly weaponized the FACE Act against pro-life protesters, according to the DOJ\u2019s recent report, leading Republicans to try to repeal it while he was still in office.<\/p>\n

Some states are cracking down on protests in churches. Since the start of 2026, at least four states \u2014 Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas \u2014 have passed legislation criminalizing the disruption of worship services, according to the Associated Press (AP).<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should go to church to be able to sit in peace, worship as they please, without having to worry about people coming in and harassing them,\u201d said Republican Idaho state Sen. Mark Harris, who co-sponsored a law banning protests in places of worship, according to AP. \u201cI think the thing that happened in Minnesota was kind of a shock to some of us, that churches would be used as a place to berate people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senators Join Forces To Ensure Americans Can \u2018Manage Their Own Health\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A St. Paul city attorney announced Tuesday that the state of Minnesota was dropping charges against protestors who burst into Cities Church in January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1030,1592,1593,270,345],"class_list":["post-1185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-anti-ice-protests","tag-cities-church","tag-criminal-charges","tag-doj","tag-minnesota"],"yoast_head":"\nSt. Paul City Attorney Drops Charges Against Cities Church Invaders As Church Attorneys Blast The Decision - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1185\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St. Paul City Attorney Drops Charges Against Cities Church Invaders As Church Attorneys Blast The Decision - 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