On January 18, 2026, at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, the anti-immigration enforcement street theater that had been engulfing Minneapolis went indoors:  

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“Protesters” apparently believed the church had white supremacist ties and the pastor was an “ICE leader” planted their members in the church before the service began and, during the service, entered through many doors and began screaming their revolutionary slogans at the Congregation, behaving violently, restricting free movement, and menacing them.  They, of course, refused orders to leave.

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Parents were blocked from reaching their frightened children, and “protesters” screamed and got in the faces of congregants, many of whom believed they were going to be assaulted.

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Former CNN employee Don Lemon coordinated with the protestors and pushed their rhetorical line inside the building.  He also handed out coffee and snacks to the protestors.

Because St. Paul is the jurisdiction of the notoriously leftist DA Mary Moriarty, then Federal Attorney General Pam Bondi became involved:

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Those arrests were in response to concerns that Moriarty would not prosecute anyone, and even if she did, it would be virtually impossible to secure a conviction with a St. Paul or Minneapolis jury. The federal government could become involved because the protesters’ actions arguably violated 18 USC 248, the FACE Act, which criminalizes the physical obstruction, injury, or intimidation of anyone seeking to exercise their First Amendment right to worship in a religious facility. The protestors clearly did just that.

It turns out worries about local prosecutors doing nothing were prescient:

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Dozens of anti-ICE protesters, including former CNN journalist Don Lemon, will avoid state criminal charges after storming a Minnesota church service in January — a decision church leaders blasted as effectively giving activists a free pass to disrupt religious worship.

St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao said in a statement Wednesday that her office would not pursue charges, saying the available evidence did not support prosecution under Minnesota law.

"Following a careful evaluation of the video footage, investigative reports, and other available materials, prosecutors determined that the current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes," the statement said.

Prosecutors are free to ignore crimes and misinterpret statutes any way they please. Fortunately, federal charges remain in place:

Federal prosecutors have already charged 39 people, including Lemon and another independent journalist, with civil rights violations tied to the disruption.

Representatives of Cities Church were not amused:

"According to the St. Paul City Attorney’s logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, intimidate the families and children inside, and shut down their religious gathering. Just call it a ‘protest,’" lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said.

Kao was apparently smarting from backlash:

Kao stressed that the decision not to file state charges "should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder."

Unless, of course, those engaging in public disorder and unlawful behavior are leftists raging at immigration enforcement, President Trump, or Christians having no connection to ICE.

"The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs," she said. "Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today."

And in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the balance is heavily weighted to the left. The “protest” was not peaceful—it purposely disrupted the worship service. If Christians can’t expect to worship God in peace without radicals interrupting and menacing them, the imbalance of Kao’s devotion to leftist anarchy is clear.

As we are becoming increasingly aware, these kinds of “protests” are not spontaneous, nor do they involve local residents. They’re nationally organized, coordinated, and lavishly financed to disrupt Normal Americans and lawful law enforcement. We can expect more church attacks, unless this from March 13, 2026, puts leftist insurrectionists on notice:

Nine North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were convicted today by a federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer and unarmed correctional officers at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.  

AG Bondi, who left office to seek cancer treatment, promised continued prosecutions, and the DOJ is following through:

“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”

It couldn’t happen to worse people.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, lifelong athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.