NEW: Don Lemon In Major Legal Turmoil After Being Caught At Anti-ICE Church Takeover

A group of anti-ICE protesters stormed a Minnesota church during Sunday services, halting worship and sparking outrage among congregants who said they were harassed inside what they described as a sacred space.

The demonstrators forced their way into Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting “ICE out” and accusing a senior church leader of cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One protester said the disruption was meant to demand justice for Renee Good, the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman fatally shot earlier this month during a confrontation involving an ICE agent.

“This will not stand, they cannot pretend to be a house of God, while harboring someone who is commanding ICE agents to terrorize our communities,” activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who followed the marchers into the church, questioned Armstrong as the protesters moved through the sanctuary. Lemon, now operating as an independent journalist, later spoke with a pastor at Cities Church, who said the group refused any attempt at peaceful dialogue.

“No one is willing to talk. I have to take care of my church and my family,” the pastor said, before asking Lemon to leave.

The disruption cut services short. Several worshippers walked out, visibly angry.

“These people have come into our house and they’ve interrupted our worship. Everybody’s gone home, their point has been proven worthless and so, in the end, I think they lose,” one churchgoer said.

NEW: Don Lemon tries lecturing a pastor on the First Amendment after a mob of far leftists stormed a church in Minneapolis.

Pastor: “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship…”

Lemon: “Listen, there’s a constitution, the First… pic.twitter.com/joHdCvaXe6

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 18, 2026

“I feel violated, I feel interrupted, I feel angry.”

Lemon later said he noticed police vehicles outside the church but did not see officers enter to restore order. He said he traveled to Minneapolis amid weeks of unrest because “I believe in the Constitution and I believe, especially, in the First Amendment and that all journalists should be here if they have the opportunity.”

Federal officials moved quickly to condemn the incident. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she spoke with the church’s pastor and vowed that attacks on places of worship would be met “with the full force of federal law.”

“If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails,” Bondi wrote.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division would investigate the incident under the FACE Act, which criminalizes the use of force, threats or obstruction at religious institutions.

ICE echoed that message online, writing: “Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too. They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

The agency blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for inflaming tensions and allowing protests to spiral.

The church disruption drew attention from the Trump administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” adding that the Justice Department had launched a full investigation.

Minnesota has become a flashpoint for clashes between ICE and protesters following Good’s death in early January. Frey has repeatedly criticized federal immigration enforcement, saying his city is “under siege” and accusing the Trump administration of creating chaos. Walz has also blasted the ICE surge, calling it unconstitutional.

The Trump administration has since sent nearly 3,000 federal agents into the state. Federal authorities confirmed that both Walz and Frey are under investigation for allegedly impeding federal law enforcement as protests continue to roil the Twin Cities.

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