Minneapolis shooting: Mob disrupts Minnesota church over pastor’s alleged ICE links

Amid massive outrage across the United States over the killing of 37-year-old American woman Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, a group of anti-ICE protesters stormed a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, mid-Sunday worship, accusing one of its pastors of secretly leading federal immigration enforcement in the state. The disruption unfolded at Cities Church during services when demonstrators confronted congregants and demanded accountability over contentious federal actions that have sparked nationwide protests, as reported by the New York Post.Anti-ICE activists, including members of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Racial Justice Network, burst into the sanctuary chanting slogans such as “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” urging the congregation to reject what they described as a moral contradiction at the heart of the church. The demonstrators alleged that pastor David Easterwood, listed on the church’s website, is the same David Easterwood who serves as acting director of the ICE St. Paul field office overseeing controversial immigration enforcement operations. Good, a mother of three and local community activist, was fatally shot earlier this month by an ICE agent during a federal enforcement action in Minneapolis that has since triggered protests not just in Minnesota but in major cities across the US, from New York to Seattle, as demonstrators rail against what they call unchecked federal power and the use of lethal force.The protest inside the church was livestreamed and shared across various social media platforms. Lead pastor Jonathan Parnell condemned the intrusion as “shameful,” urging those who were not there to worship to leave. In response, the US Department of Justice announced an investigation into whether the demonstrators violated federal civil rights laws by disrupting religious services, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon framing the incident as a potential offense against the free exercise of religion. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that any breaches of federal law would be prosecuted.The incident has further strained relations between federal authorities and Minnesota civic leadership. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have called the recent protests as targeting not only ICE officers but now places of worship where agents may be present, requesting that enforcement efforts will not be deterred. DHS reposted one of the videos of the church protest on X and wrote, “Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too. They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have criticized federal immigration tactics, accusing ICE of racial profiling and escalating tensions in local communities.Participants in the protest defended their actions as necessary civil disobedience in the face of what they describe as systemic injustice, insisting that the killing of Good and the broader operation by ICE demand a moral reckoning from communities, including religious ones.