group that stormed into Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 18, 2026
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced indictments against 30 additional individuals for their alleged role in an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18. This raises the total to 39 indictments, with 25 arrests already made and more expected. The charges, filed under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, accuse protesters of intimidation, threats, and obstruction during a “coordinated take-over” targeting a pastor who serves as an ICE agent. Actions included chanting “ICE Out!” and “Stand up, fight back!” and interrupting the sermon.
Notable indicted figures include CNN anchor Don Lemon, independent journalist Georgia Fort, and Black Lives Matter Minnesota organizer Trahern Crews, who called the arrests a “waste of time” and urged focus on unsolved murders instead. Lemon and Fort claim they were only covering the event as journalists, but prosecutors allege they attended a pre-protest briefing. Fort has publicly decried the charges as press intimidation in a New York Times essay.
Bondi emphasized the Justice Department’s stance in protecting houses of worship and Americans of faith under the Trump administration. Separately, church member Ann Doucette filed a civil lawsuit against the protesters for conspiracy, emotional distress, trespassing, and interfering with religious exercise, stating the incident shattered her sense of safety.
