FBI arrests left-wing activist who led mob of protesters into Minnesota church

Federal authorities have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, the woman who led an anti-ICE demonstration at a Minnesota church last week.

Armstrong faces charges for violating the FACE Act, which prohibits interfering with religious practices at places of worship.

“Minutes ago at my direction, HSI and FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X.

She added, “We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.”

The incident occurred on Sunday, when Armstrong led a group into Cities Church in St. Paul. Demonstrators believed that one of the church’s pastors worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and interrupted the service, shouting slogans such as “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.”

Armstrong is a civil rights lawyer and “scholar-activist,” according to her website. She previously helped organize boycotts against Target over changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, according to Fox News.

During a livestream covering the protest, former CNN anchor Don Lemon described Armstrong’s actions as part of a broader pattern of activism following the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright. Lemon called the demonstrators “resistance protesters” and mentioned that their efforts were organized under “Operation Pull-Up.”

The Department of Justice is also investigating whether other protesters may have violated the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act, which makes it a federal crime to deny citizens their civil rights.

Following legal scrutiny from the Trump administration, Lemon clarified that he had no affiliation with the protesters. “I had no affiliations with that organization. I didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them. We were there chronicling protests,” he said. He added that his actions during the protest were purely journalistic, involving interviews with the pastor, church members, and protesters.

Despite Lemon’s explanation, Deputy Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon criticized his reporting. “A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service,” she wrote on X, adding, “You are on notice.”

Original Source