Bondi’s DOJ Charges Dozens More In Minnesota Church ‘Invasion’ Case
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday unsealed charges against 30 additional individuals tied to a protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota last month, bringing the total number of defendants to 39.
According to Reuters, all defendants are charged with conspiracy against the right of religious worship and violating a federal statute that prohibits obstructing access to houses of worship.
Among those previously indicted is former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was one of nine individuals initially charged.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that federal agents have already begun making arrests.
“At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day,” Bondi wrote on social media.
“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you.”
Lemon and several co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. Lemon, now working as an independent journalist who livestreamed the protest, has claimed the charges violate his First Amendment rights. He and others argue they are being targeted for opposing the immigration enforcement policies of President Donald J. Trump.
The Jan. 18 protest occurred at Cities Church in St. Paul and drew national attention as the Trump administration deployed federal agents to the region for a broader immigration enforcement operation.
Organizers have said they selected the church because they believed a senior pastor had ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstration escalated during a live service, with protesters reportedly shouting anti-ICE slogans and confronting congregants. Video from the scene shows worshippers leaving the sanctuary as the disruption unfolded.
The Justice Department has characterized the incident as a “coordinated takeover-style attack” on a house of worship and has moved forward despite a federal judge initially declining to approve arrest warrants for several defendants.
Separately, authorities confirmed that Jerome Richardson, a 21-year-old senior at Temple University, turned himself in earlier this week. Richardson was taken into federal custody in Philadelphia in connection with the Jan. 18 protest and later released pending further proceedings.
Richardson is among those indicted for allegedly conspiring to interfere with the free exercise of religion and unlawfully disrupt the service. In public comments prior to his arrest, he acknowledged assisting Lemon with logistics and connecting him to local contacts.
“Don was reporting on the situation on the ground during the occupation by DHS and ICE and Border Patrol agents. At that time, I was proud to support his work in exposing the everyday injustices that resulted from the agenda. As a consequence of this support, I’m now being targeted by Trump and the federal administration,” Richardson said in a video, according to CBS News.
“This is the price of being unapologetic about humanity and love of Christ,” he continued, arguing that the protest highlighted “the hypocrisy of how Pastor David Easterwood could simultaneously be a pastor at the church and the local leader of ICE operations.”
“What people are experiencing goes against human and civil rights as well as the teachings of Jesus, who indeed flipped over tables,” Richardson said.
Temple University released a statement acknowledging Richardson’s charges.
The case underscores a growing clash between aggressive immigration enforcement under President Trump’s second term and activists who have sought to challenge those policies — even inside places of worship. Federal officials, however, have made clear that while peaceful protest is protected, storming a church service crosses a constitutional line.
For the Justice Department, the message is straightforward: the First Amendment protects religious worship just as surely as it protects speech — and targeting a church service for political theater will not be tolerated.