Dozens of anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a church service in Minnesota earlier this year, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, will not face state criminal charges because the available evidence does not meet the legal threshold for prosecution, the St. Paul City Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

City Attorney Irene Kao announced that her office had declined to pursue charges stemming from the Jan. 18 disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators entered during a Sunday worship service to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations as well as a church pastor who also worked as an ICE official.

"Our office has a legal and ethical obligation to file charges only when the available evidence establishes probable cause and supports a reasonable likelihood of conviction beyond a reasonable doubt," Kao wrote in a statement.

"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," she continued.

Kao emphasized that the decision should not be viewed as approval of the protesters' conduct.

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

The decision means participants in the church disruption will not face state-level prosecution, though many already face federal charges connected to the incident.

Federal prosecutors have charged 39 people, including Lemon, with offenses tied to the protest. Authorities allege the demonstrators interfered with congregants' ability to worship by entering the church and disrupting services as part of an organized protest.

Lemon, who has maintained that he attended the event as an independent journalist, has denied wrongdoing.

Supporters of the defendants have argued the protest was protected speech aimed at drawing attention to immigration enforcement policies and the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman, Renee Nicole Good, by an ICE agent.

The state decision drew criticism from church leaders.

Cities Church Pastor Jonathan Parnell said the ruling effectively treats the disruption of a religious service as protected protest activity and fails to hold participants accountable. He argued that worshippers were prevented from exercising their faith without interference.

The incident attracted national attention because of Lemon's participation and because it raised questions about the balance between First Amendment protections for protest activity and the rights of religious congregations to conduct worship services without disruption.

The federal case involving the protesters remains pending.