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Justice Department launches investigation into church protest
The US Justice Department is examining demonstrators who disrupted a Sunday service at a Minnesota church, alleging they violated civil rights laws by desecrating a place of worship. Federal officials say they will pursue charges against those involved in the incident at Cities Church in St. Paul.
Protesters target pastor accused of ICE ties
Video footage captured protesters chanting "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good" inside the church. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Demonstrators claim one of the church's pastors, David Easterwood, serves as a local ICE official.
While Easterwood was not leading the service, court documents from the ACLU identify a person with the same name as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul field office. The Associated Press and Minnesota Star Tribune reported he appeared alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference last October.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to confirm Easterwood's identity, citing security risks for agents and their families.
Federal response escalates amid ongoing protests
US Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to use the "full force of federal law" against the protesters. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon later announced on X that federal charges would be pursued. President Donald Trump condemned the demonstrators, calling them "agitators and insurrectionists" and suggesting they should be jailed or deported.
The Pentagon has placed 1,500 active-duty soldiers on standby for potential deployment to Minneapolis, following Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act. The 19th-century law, last used in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots, allows the president to deploy military personnel for domestic law enforcement.
Protests persist as tensions rise over ICE operations
Demonstrations have continued outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where federal agents are headquartered. A DHS spokesperson said at least 3,000 people have been arrested in the city since federal deployments began. On Friday, a federal judge restricted ICE's crowd-control tactics against peaceful protesters.
The Justice Department has also opened investigations into Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both Democrats, for allegedly obstructing federal immigration operations. Both officials have publicly opposed ICE's presence in their jurisdiction.
Deaths in ICE custody spark further outrage
Protests intensified after the killing of Renee Good, who city officials say was legally observing ICE activities when she was shot. The Trump administration labeled her a "domestic terrorist" and claimed the agent acted in self-defense.
Meanwhile, a third detainee has died in ICE custody in Texas in the past 44 days. Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan national, died of an apparent suicide at a Texas detention center, according to ICE. Another detainee, 55-year-old Lunas Campos from Cuba, died earlier this month under similar circumstances.
"We can't sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray," said Monique Cullars-Doty, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and protest organizer.
Monique Cullars-Doty, CBS News
