Feds Arrest Black Lives Matter Leaders After Anti-ICE Church Protest in Minnesota
Federal agents arrested two prominent Black Lives Matter activists Thursday morning for their roles in a coordinated disruption of a Sunday church service in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen were taken into custody. Armstrong, a former president of the Minnesota NAACP, is accused of helping organize the protest. Allen, who serves on the St. Paul Public Schools board, leads the local Black Lives Matter chapter.
“WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi posted after the arrests were made by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
The two allegedly led a group that entered Cities Church during a worship service, targeting a pastor believed to also serve as a top ICE official in Minnesota. The group disrupted the service, chanted slogans, and confronted congregants.
The Trump administration has pledged to prosecute those involved under the FACE Act — a federal law originally used to target pro-life demonstrators, now being applied to protect religious institutions from left-wing activists.
Armstrong defended the protest earlier in the week, saying they quietly entered the church, joined the service, and only stood up after the pastor’s prayer to question his ties to ICE. She insisted it was peaceful and that “we didn’t bust in.”
Allen also defended the action, telling TMZ the administration should focus on investigating ICE, not activists. “They’re murdering people,” she said, referring to the recent death of Renee Good.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer blasted the pair and called for prosecution “to the full extent.” He also ripped into Don Lemon, who was present at the protest and is under federal scrutiny for his possible involvement.
“That failed reporter, that loser, that Lemon loser,” Emmer said. “He should face accountability.”
Emmer warned that Democrat leaders like Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have created an environment where criminal activism is encouraged. “There have been no consequences in Minnesota,” he said. “That’s the problem.”
The arrests mark a new chapter in the Trump administration’s crackdown on left-wing agitators targeting ICE and religious communities. More arrests are expected.