Trump administration charges 30 more people for Minnesota church protest

The Trump administration, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has expanded its prosecution against protesters involved in a demonstration at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota, charging 30 additional individuals on February 28, 2026, bringing the total number of defendants to 39. The protest, which occurred on January 18, was part of a backlash against Trump's controversial immigration surge in Minnesota, but officials have characterized the demonstration as an attack on religious freedom. Bondi announced the expanded indictment in a social media post, stating that federal agents had already arrested 25 of the newly charged individuals with more arrests expected. "YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP," Bondi warned, emphasizing that the Department of Justice "STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith." The superseding indictment accuses all 39 defendants of conspiracy against religious freedom and efforts to injure, intimidate or interfere with religious exercise, claiming they "oppressed, threatened and intimidated" church congregants by occupying aisles and chanting loudly. Several high-profile defendants, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon and reporter Georgia Fort, have pleaded not guilty, asserting they were acting as journalists and that the prosecution represents an attempt to curtail press freedom. The protest, dubbed "Operation Pullup," emerged as a response to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, particularly "Operation Metro Surge" which deployed as many as 3,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis-St Paul area. The demonstrations were triggered by the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a confrontation on January 7. Despite the administration's announcement that Operation Metro Surge was winding down in mid-February, some protesters vowed to continue monitoring immigration operations, with civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong declaring, "This is not the time to be Minnesota Nice. It's time for truth, justice, and freedom to prevail."