Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday announced that Nekima Levy Armstrong was arrested in connection with the disruption of services at a church where a local official with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor.Bondi also announced the arrest of Chauntyll Louisa Allen, an elected member of the St. Paul School Board. The incident happened on Sunday, when a group joined services at the Cities Church in St. Paul before chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads the local ICE field office, and one of the leaders of the protest and prominent local activist Armstrong said she’s also an ordained pastor. Allen was also instrumental in the building of the Black Lives Matter Twin Cities chapter. Armstrong formerly served as president for the Twin Cities chapter of the NAACP, and in 2017 ran for mayor of Minneapolis, ultimately losing to current Mayor Jacob Frey, CBS news reported.The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention called what happened “an unacceptable trauma,” saying the service was “forced to end prematurely” as protesters shouted “insults and accusations at youth, children, and families.” The demonstration was one of a number of protests that have cropped up in the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota following the fatal shooting of US citizen Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis earlier this month. The recent surge in operations in Minnesota pitted more than 3,000 federal immigration officers against community activists and protesters. The Trump administration and Minnesota officials traded blame for the heightened tensions.Many faith leaders were dismayed when the government announced last January that federal immigration agencies can make arrests in churches, schools and hospitals, ending the protection of people in sensitive spaces.No immigration raids during church services were reported, but some churches posted notices on their doors saying no federal immigration officers were allowed inside. Others reported a drop in attendance, particularly during enforcement surges.
