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Justice Dept. charges 30 more people over anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church
#Justice Department#Anti-ICE protest#Cities Church Minnesota#Pam Bondi#Religious freedom#Immigration enforcement#Federal charges#Church disruption
📌 Key Takeaways
DOJ charging 30 more people in connection with anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church
Total of 39 defendants now facing charges including former CNN anchor Don Lemon
Protesters accused of 'coordinated takeover-style attack' that disrupted worship service
Defendants charged under federal law prohibiting interference with religious rights in houses of worship
Attorney General Bondi emphasized DOJ's stance on protecting houses of worship
📖 Full Retelling
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday, February 27, 2026, that the Justice Department is charging 30 additional individuals in connection with a January anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest at Cities Church in Minneapolis, bringing the total number of defendants to 39, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon. The department unsealed the indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, where 25 of the 30 newly charged individuals have been arrested, with more expected to be taken into custody. The original nine defendants in the criminal civil rights case have all pleaded not guilty to the charges. The indictment accuses all 39 defendants of participating in a 'coordinated takeover-style attack' and engaging in 'acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction' during the January 18 protest. According to court documents, the protest forced the church's worship service to be terminated, causing congregants to flee out of fear for their safety while others implemented emergency plans, with young children reportedly wondering if their parents were going to die. The defendants are being charged under a federal law that prohibits interfering with or intimidating people exercising their religious rights in a house of worship, with first-time offenders facing up to a year in prison and a $10,000 fine. The protest occurred amid rising tensions over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis that had left two U.S. citizens dead, with one member of the congregation subsequently filing a federal lawsuit alleging the group unlawfully disrupted the service as part of a coordinated political demonstration.
🏷️ Themes
Immigration Enforcement, Religious Freedom, Political Protest, Legal Accountability
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a very few countries) or a secretary of justice. In som...
Pamela Jo Bondi ( BON-dee; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 87th United States attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 37th attorney general of Florida from 2011 to 2019.
Born and raised in the Tampa Bay are...
Human right to practice, or not, a religion without conflict from governing powers
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the right not to...
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