DOJ indicts 30 alleged Minnesota church protesters, arrests 25

Federal prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment accusing 30 more people of attacking Cities Church in Minnesota through a mid-service protest, according to a Friday statement from Attorney General Pamela Bondi. That brings the total number of defendants charged in connection with the incident to 39, according to court documents. Federal agents already arrested 25 of the newly named suspects, and more arrests are expected throughout the day, Bondi said.

To read the indictment, including the names of all of the defendants, click here.

A group of protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 18 and disrupted a Sunday service by staging an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration. Protesters specifically targeted the church, believing that one of its pastors led an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. Footage of the demonstration appeared to show protesters blocking aisles, chanting, and confronting congregants.

Federal officials previously arrested nine suspected protesters, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon. Anyone who attacks a house of worship will be found, arrested, and prosecuted, Bondi said.

Has the church responded to the new indictment and arrests? True North Legal, an initiative of the Minnesota Family Council, is representing the church. Litigation Director Doug Wardlow praised the additional indictments and subsequent arrests in a Friday statement. The indictment sends a clear message that places of worship are off-limits for those hoping to use chaos and intimidation to advance a political agenda, Wardlow said. The invasion of Cities Church was a planned and coordinated effort that put congregants, including children, in fear for their lives, Wardlow said. The First Amendment doesn’t give people the right to storm a church and terrorize families worshipping inside, he added.

The unsealing of the superseding indictment came days after a Cities Church member filed a federal civil rights complaint over the aggressive protest. Church member Ann Doucette accused protesters of hindering her ability to worship and causing emotional distress and trauma.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report for more about Doucette’s civil rights lawsuit against the accused protesters.