A mob of anti-ICE protesters barged into Cities Church in St. Paul during Sunday worship, chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good” as the service was being livestreamed, claiming one of the pastors shares a name with an ICE official. This was not a peaceful demonstration — it was a deliberate interruption of a house of worship and an act that should alarm every American who values religious freedom and orderly protest.
The Justice Department has opened a probe into possible federal civil-rights violations for disrupting worshippers, with senior DOJ voices calling the action a desecration of a sanctuary and promising prosecution where warranted. Finally, the federal government appears willing to enforce the basic rule that churches are off-limits to political intimidation, and conservatives should demand the same swift, decisive accountability for rioters that we demand for any criminal act.
This lawlessness arrived on the heels of a tense moment in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of Renee Good during an ICE operation, and left-wing groups like Black Lives Matter Minnesota were openly involved in the action. No one is excusing tragedy or asking questions about law enforcement use of force, but when activists respond by storming sanctuaries and making churches into political battlefields, they cross a line from advocacy into intimidation. America cannot normalize mob tactics under the banner of grievance.
Even the Department of Homeland Security publicly warned that agitators are “hunting” for federal employees and now appear to be moving from hotels to churches, a chilling escalation that should unite reasonable people across the political spectrum. Local officials who stoke or excuse these demonstrations are complicit in eroding public safety, and it’s past time for governors and mayors to protect houses of worship rather than turning a blind eye. Protecting worshippers and federal personnel is not partisan — it is basic governance.
Patriotic Americans must insist on the rule of law: those who trespassed, intimidated worshippers, and sought to weaponize religion for political purposes should be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent. Support our men and women in law enforcement who are carrying out difficult duties on behalf of the public, and push back against the narrative that allows mobs to dictate civil behavior. If we do not stand firm now for order, liberty and faith, we will have surrendered too much to chaos and lawlessness.
