After the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota failed to prosecute progressive state activist Don Lemon, the Federal government has stepped in. He will face numerous Federal charges after the city AG claimed there was insufficient evidence.
Minnesota ICE Shooting
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EXCERPT:
“The city of Saint Paul has officially determined the January 18 invasion of our church and the desecration of our worship to be a ‘peaceful protest.'”
The lead pastor of Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota, has criticized the city’s mayor after agitators who stormed the church in January, including former CNN reporter Don Lemon, have avoided state charges related to the incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, city attorney Irene Kao said, “Our office has a legal and ethical obligation to file charges only when the available evidence establishes probable cause and supports a reasonable likelihood of conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.”
She said that following a “careful evaluation of the video footage, investigative reports, and other available materials, prosecutors determined that the current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes.” She added, “The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.”
Far-left activists shouted through bullhorns on Easter Sunday as part of their ongoing harassment campaign against a St. Paul, Minnesota, church that allegedly employs an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official as a minister. The Easter Sunday campaign concluded in one arrest, although a judge already threw out the charges.
Anti-ICE protesters have targeted Cities Church in the Twin Cities since January, when a mob, joined by former CNN personality Don Lemon, disrupted the church worship service at the Baptist church. The activists disrupted the service because they alleged an assistant pastor is also a local ICE official who is overseeing efforts to remove violent illegal immigrants from the area.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is among the defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by a St. Paul church congregant over the disruption of a worship service on January 18, 2026, at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The same incident has also resulted in federal criminal charges against Lemon and eight other individuals.
The protest occurred during a Sunday service at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation. Demonstrators entered the sanctuary and began chanting slogans including “ICE out!” and “Justice for Renee Good,” a reference to a local anti-ICE agitator who was shot while attempting to run over a federal agent last month.
A special agent with the Department of Homeland Security revealed in court documents that leftists who disrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, made frightening comments to children in the congregation.
The agent said in a Jan. 20 affidavit that the protesters — who interrupted Sunday morning worship because one of the pastors worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — told children their parents were “Nazis.”
That particular remark allegedly came from William Kelly — who has harassed conservative churches across the country with expletive-laced language.
Over the last 25 years, gunmen and gunwomen have launched around two dozen fatal attacks at Christian churches across the nation. As demonstrated by the invasion of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota last month, even congregations that haven’t encountered an armed threat still face mounting hostility against their faith and parishioners.
There’s no denying houses of worship are targets for violence. There’s also no denying that death tolls in church shootings were kept at a minimum thanks to the heroic actions of good guys with guns like Jack Wilson, Caleb Engle, and Jeanne Assam.
In a step toward accountability, a grand jury indicted former CNN host Don Lemon over his involvement in a leftist-led storming of a Minnesota church earlier this month. The indictment led to Lemon’s arrest at the hands of federal authorities on Friday morning.
“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in an X post.
Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell also confirmed the arrest of his client. In a statement, Lowell claimed that Lemon was detained Thursday evening while covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California and that his “constitutionally protected” conduct in the aforementioned church storming “was no different than what he has always done” as a media figure.
In superhero lore, the good guys wear masks to protect their families from the reprisals of vengeful, lawless evildoers. And, in the real world, ICE and Border Patrol agents wear masks for the exact same reason.
On Saturday’s The Weekend, MSNOW White House reporter Laura Barron-Lopez asserted that liberal journalist Don Lemon is being prosecuted by the Donald Trump administration because the President doesn’t like journalists who present facts and criticize him.
The show also tried to tie in race, with co-host Eugene Daniels teasing the story: “Today Trump’s immigration crackdown extends to the free press with federal agents arresting two black journalists, including Don Lemon, after documenting a church protest.”
After beginning the show by discussing the merits of the case, co-host Jackie Alemany turned to Barron-Lopez and posed: “Can you talk about why the White House is so obsessed with Don Lemon in particular?”
Don Lemon is quickly finding out that consequences apply under the Trump administration. As RedState reported, the self-described “journalist” has been arrested for his part in allegedly storming a church, harassing congregants, and refusing to leave when asked by the pastor.
Federal authorities arrested two more suspects in the Minnesota church invasion, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday.
“If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” Bondi wrote on X.
“We have made two more arrests in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson,” she added.
Both Austin and Richardson appear in the indictment that a federal grand jury handed down Thursday.
The Minnesota-based federal judge who declined to issue arrest warrants for Don Lemon and several of the radicals accused of storming into Cities Church on Jan. 18 demanded on Tuesday that acting ICE Director Todd Lyons “appear personally before the Court and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court.”
Despite U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz’s portrayal in the liberal media as a conservative-minded and “mild-mannered George W. Bush appointee,” it appears that Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s characterization of Schiltz as “just another activist judge” is more apt.
The weekend before last, a mob of Leftists, including Don Lemon, stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, MN. Three of the agitators were arrested and almost immediately released by judges, while another judge refused to sign off on the arrest warrant for Lemon. It turns out that judge, Douglas L. Micko, is married to a woman who reportedly works in AG Keith Ellison’s office.
Earlier this week, President Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to speak personally with leaders in Minnesota. In the latest update to those exchanges, President Trump called out a top official at the center of the controversy for refusing to cooperate with the administration.
On Wednesday morning, Trump issued a stern warning to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) after Frey indicated on Tuesday afternoon he was not going to enforce federal immigration law.
‘He is PLAYING WITH FIRE!’
Frey posted a short thread to X summarizing his position, stating that Minneapolis “will not enforce federal immigration law, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe.”
Trump noted his surprise at Frey’s apparent switchback following a “very good conversation with him”: “Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!”
The Trump administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it has completed a “preliminary review” of the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti, laying out a minute-by-minute account of the encounter and identifying the two federal agents who fired their weapons.
Pretti, 37, a U.S. Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, died after a confrontation with Border Patrol agents during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis on Saturday.
According to the report, agents with Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection were conducting enforcement actions near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street as part of Operation Metro Surge. Officials said several civilians were present in the area, some of them “yelling and blowing whistles” as agents worked.
In a hilarious turn of events, the anti-ICE agitators have now begun demonstrating outside the offices of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for considering working with federal agents.
#BREAKING: Anti‑ICE protesters surround Tim Walz’s office after he signaled openness to President Trump & Tom Homan.
— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) January 27, 2026
Dozens of protesters were seen screaming “justice delayed is justice denied” outside of the Walz’s office. Many were wielding homemade signs condemning ICE and federal law enforcement.
🚨 JUST IN: Leftist protestors have STORMED outside Tim Walz’s office in Minnesota, FURIOUS that he’s starting to cave to President Trump and Tom Homan
LMFAO! That’s how you know he’s losing!
Cry harder, ICE WILL CONTINUE. Homan’s taking it from here 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZYLy7wqHQF
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 27, 2026
Disturbing new details have emerged about the far-left mob that stormed a Sunday church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, exposing an incident far more terrifying than initially reported. Democrat-aligned protesters forced their way into the church during worship, targeting the congregation over false claims that the pastor supported immigration authorities.
According to witnesses, agitators blocked stairwells, preventing parents from reaching their children attending Sunday School. Mothers were left panicked and helpless as chaos unfolded inside what should have been a place of safety and refuge. One boy cried to his dad: “I thought you were going to die.”
Even more alarming, one protester reportedly harassed a child directly, telling them: “Do you know your parents are Nazis? They’re going to burn in hell.” The verbal abuse of children crossed a line that shocks the conscience.
The invasion of Cities Church was not a protest—it was intimidation, terror, and ideological violence aimed at families and children. Yet once again, political leaders and media outlets that routinely decry “threats to democracy” remain conspicuously silent when the victims are ordinary Americans targeted by the radical left.
New details are emerging about the armed man killed by Border Patrol on Saturday.
As it turns out, this may not have been the first time Alex Pretti got into a physical altercation with immigration agents.
Reportedly, just one week before his death, Pretti (allegedly) broke his rib in a violent confrontation with ICE agents.
This clip from CNN has more details:
BREAKING: ICE Attacker Alex Pretti Had A Physical Altercation With ICE And Broke His Rib Just A Week Before He Was Shot and Killed.
He was tackled for impeding operations, and a week later he showed up with a loaded weapon to attack federal law enforcement.
He had a history… pic.twitter.com/63jFO5TJON
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 27, 2026
BREAKING: ICE Attacker Alex Pretti Had A Physical Altercation With ICE And Broke His Rib Just A Week Before He Was Shot and Killed.
He was tackled for impeding operations, and a week later he showed up with a loaded weapon to attack federal law enforcement.
He had a history of interfering with ICE and the left wants you to believe he meant no harm. This is who they are rioting for.
The operation motivating and fueling these people needs to be completely exposed and brought down.
President Donald Trump appears to be backing down in Minneapolis — not because the situation has improved, but because Democrat officials who are still openly declaring their opposition to immigration enforcement have apparently pressured him into retreat.
After months of open defiance of federal immigration law, weeks of unrest, and a second fatal shooting involving federal agents, the Trump administration demanded on Sunday that Walz, Frey, and other Democrat leaders “cooperate … to enforce our Nation’s Laws.” In part, he specifically called on state and local prisons to turn over illegal aliens in custody and called on local police to “assist Federal Law Enforcement in apprehending and detaining Illegal Aliens who are wanted for Crimes.” But two days later, the president is reportedly planning to withdraw some forces in Minneapolis.
It was a wild weekend with the Border Patrol shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday.
We don’t know all the facts in the case yet. But the Democrats were off to the races, declaring it “murder.” They’ve helped to incite the anti-ICE and anti-DHS agitators. Immediately, there was violence in the wake of the shooting, with an ICE agent having his finger bitten off by a rioter and protesters attacking a hotel they thought ICE agents were staying at.
Former CNN host Don Lemon has claimed that President Donald Trump’s administration would be willing to “go around a judge” and “retrofit” laws in order to prosecute him for his role in raiding a Minneapolis church with an anti-ICE activist mob.
It comes as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks to charge Lemon over his role in illegally disrupting the church service.
Lemon made the comments while speaking with fellow former CNN host Alisyn Camerota, now a special events anchor for Scripps News.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that federal agents were in the area executing a lawful operation to apprehend an illegal alien wanted for violent assault when they encountered armed rioter Alex Pretti.
DHS stated that Pretti was armed with a loaded nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun and two magazines, posing an immediate and lethal threat to federal officers and the public. The agency later released a photograph of the weapon recovered at the scene.
In just one sentence, the Minneapolis police chief tacitly endorsed violence against federal immigration officers, and made it clear why the violence continues to escalate without police interference.
An armed man the Department of Homeland Security says was determined to interfere with Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis was killed in a struggle Saturday morning.
The incident, the second shooting involving federal efforts to round up illegal immigrants in Minneapolis, sparked riots.
“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” DHS said in a post on X.
“The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID — this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” the post said.
At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here.
The officers attempted to… pic.twitter.com/5Y50mYONGH
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 24, 2026
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is vowing to pursue charges “to the ends of the Earth” against former CNN host Don Lemon for his role in storming a St. Paul, Minnesota, church with a group of anti-ICE activists.
The warning was issued by Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
Speaking during a Friday interview with Megyn Kelly, Dhillon said the department is continuing to explore avenues to prosecute Lemon despite a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota declining to authorize charges against him on Thursday.
I don’t expect much from the Episcopal Church, but it still speaks volumes when a bishop refuses to condemn the invasion of a church service.
Last weekend, a group of agitators invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, taking over the sanctuary, terrifying children, and chanting, “Who shut this down? We shut this down!”
It wasn’t a peaceful protest. It wasn’t a demonstration. It was a horde of vandals entering the sanctuary and coopting it for their political agenda.
The death of an anti-ICE agitator in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this past weekend occurred right near an “autism clinic” at the center of an alleged multi-million-dollar Somali fraud scheme. The incident comes amid increased scrutiny of the state’s broken and shady welfare operations.
Leftist demonstrator and Department of Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was purportedly shot and killed by a federal agent on Saturday after seemingly impeding federal officials’ immigration enforcement efforts in the city. According to local officials and local and national reporting, the incident took place on or near Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
In the face of an 8,000% increase in death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is asking the public to report activities that are endangering its agents.
“The public can report doxing and harassment against ICE officers by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing ICE’s online tip form,” DHS said Monday in a news release reporting the surge in death threats and a 1,300% spike in assaults against ICE officers:
“Our law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they put their lives on the line to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists from American neighborhoods.”
The Saturday shooting death of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti has roiled the city of Minneapolis and sent thousands of demonstrators to the streets night after night in the frigid cold. The inflammatory rhetoric from leftists continues even as not all the facts are known.
