Federal Prosecutors Charge 39 Over Minnesota Church Protest

Federal prosecutors have charged 39 people, including former CNN journalist Don Lemon, with civil rights violations for disrupting a worship service at a Minnesota church in January. The decision by local officials not to pursue separate state criminal charges has drawn sharp criticism from church leaders and reignited debate over religious liberty and protest rights.

The incident occurred on January 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul. A group of protesters entered the church during a Sunday service, chanting "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good." The demonstration was livestreamed. According to witnesses and church leaders, the protesters shouted at congregants, confronted families, and disrupted the gathering, frightening children and temporarily preventing parents from reaching them.

The protesters had targeted the church over reports that one of its pastors was also an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protest coincided with a federal immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis amid that operation.