Minnesota pastor condemns anti-ICE agitators who interrupted service: ‘Shameful and unlawful’

The Minnesota church where anti-ICE agitators disrupted a Sunday service and shouted down parishioners called on leaders to protect places of worship while criticizing the behavior of those involved during the chaotic disruption. 

The Cities Church in St. Paul released a statement Tuesday where it addressed Sunday's events, which was captured on video and has gone viral since, that was sparked by claims that its pastor worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

The agitators began shouting anti-ICE slogans during the church service and berated churchgoers for not doing enough to challenge federal immigration officers carrying out raids targeting illegal immigrant criminals in the region. 

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"They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat," Jonathan Parnell, the pastor whose service was interrupted, said in a statement posted to the church's website. "Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated."

"Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation," he added. 

Parnell said the church welcomes respectful dialogue about current issues but that "the realness of Jesus" provides "the only final answers to the world’s most complex and intractable problems."

In one video, an anti-ICE agitator is seen walking around the church service, asserting that "all these pretend Christians, all these comfortable White people… are living lavish, comfortable lives, while children are dragged into concentration camps."

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"You are a fake Christian," he said. "You're sinners." 

Christian leaders have condemned the incident and have demanded action from the government. The Trump administration has vowed to look into the matter. 

"I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

"If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails," she added.

Parnell said the church was evaluating its next steps with legal counsel. 

"Church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message," he said. "We therefore call on local, state, and national leaders to protect this fundamental right."