{"id":30568,"date":"2026-01-20T11:52:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T16:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=30568"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T16:52:15","slug":"pastors-demand-doj-action-after-anti-ice-mob-storms-st-paul-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/01\/pastors-demand-doj-action-after-anti-ice-mob-storms-st-paul-church","title":{"rendered":"Pastors Demand DOJ Action After Anti-ICE Mob Storms St. Paul Church"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: @PaulChappell \/ X | Right: X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Christian leaders across the country are calling for swift federal action after anti-ICE agitators stormed a Twin Cities church during a Sunday worship service, disrupting congregants and shouting at families gathered to pray. The shocking incident, which took place at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, was caught on camera by former CNN host Don Lemon, who appeared to accompany the protesters into the building.<\/p>\n

Video of the intrusion spread quickly online, showing dozens of activists interrupting the service and berating churchgoers. The National Faith Advisory Board condemned the breach, highlighting responses from several prominent Christian leaders, including Pastor Paul Chappell and Paula Michelle White, senior adviser to the White House Faith Office. “We condemn the actions of Don Lemon and the group of activists who stormed Cities Church today in St. Paul, Minnesota, in clear violation of the FACE Act,” White said. “Christians everywhere should demand that the Department of Justice arrest those who participated. We must protect religious liberty in this country.”<\/p>\n

Chappell, who pastors Lancaster Baptist Church in California, also urged the DOJ to investigate and “apprehend those who broke the law,” telling his congregation, “We must protect religious liberty in this country.” Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler called the intrusion “unspeakably evil,” noting that he rarely posts publicly on Sundays but felt compelled to speak. “The unspeakably evil intrusion of a leftist mob into a Christian worship service today in Minneapolis must be called out for what it is \u2014 and Federal authorities should be fast and effective in response,” he wrote, adding prayers for the traumatized congregation, “including children and youth.” He described the incident as “nothing less than the desecration of Christian worship.”<\/p>\n

Others echoed the outrage. “What a despicable act meant to terrorize and stoke fear in Christians,” wrote Pastor Steve Gentry of Village Church in Virginia. “This is what the Left is. They hate order and want to destroy the nation.”<\/p>\n

The White House moved quickly, announcing federal investigations into the incident within hours of the videos surfacing. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed she had spoken directly to the Minnesota pastor. “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” Bondi said, warning that if state officials refuse to enforce order, the DOJ “will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”<\/p>\n

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, also weighed in on Monday, confirming that her team is “hard at work” reviewing evidence tied to the violation of the FACE Act \u2014 a federal law aimed at preventing the obstruction of religious worship and healthcare facilities. “We will not rest until we are able to deliver justice,” Dhillon said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian leaders across the country are calling for swift federal action after anti-ICE agitators stormed a Twin Cities church during a Sunday worship service, disrupting congregants and shouting at families gathered to pray. The shocking incident, which took place at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, was caught on camera by former CNN host Don…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":30571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPastors Demand DOJ Action After Anti-ICE Mob Storms St. Paul Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christian leaders demand federal action after anti-ICE protesters storm a church during worship, calling the disruption "unspeakably evil."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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