Protesters disrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota, as part of a demonstration against immigration enforcement practices. Approximately thirty individuals entered the worship space, some chanting ‘ICE out’ and referring to Renee Good, an individual fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this year.
The church's pastor, David Easterwood, leads the local field office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a conflict that has now drawn both protests and support from various faith leaders in the region.
Trey Turner, leader of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, labeled the incident ‘an unacceptable trauma.’ He called for churches to offer compassionate support to affected families while maintaining the sanctity of worship spaces. The churches have been challenged to navigate between faith views on immigration and the preservation of peaceful worship.
The civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice aims to address the legality of the protesters' actions, which some leaders, including Kevin Ezell of the North American Mission Board, branded as harassment rather than legitimate protest. The continued tensions surrounding immigration enforcement have divided Christian communities, with differing perspectives on the balance between upholding laws and supporting human dignity.
While some churches are ramping up security measures in light of such protests, the overall dialogue about immigrant rights and the use of religious spaces for asylum and aid continues to evolve within U.S. Christianity, reflecting broader societal divisions over immigration policies.
