Minneapolis remains embroiled in escalating tensions as anti-ICE demonstrations intensify following the January 7th fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The situation reached a new threshold when protesters disrupted a Sunday service at St. Paul’s Cities Church, chanting “ICE out” and demanding “Justice for Renee Good” while alleging one of the church’s pastors serves as a local ICE official.
The U.S. Justice Department has initiated an investigation into the incident, with Attorney General Pam Bondi vowing to exercise the “full force of federal law” against demonstrators accused of “desecrating a house of worship.” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed via social media that federal charges would be pursued in the case.
According to Associated Press and Minnesota Star Tribune reports, a person identified as David Easterwood—matching the name of one of the church’s pastors—appears in ACLU court filings as acting director of ICE’s St. Paul field office. Easterwood was not present during the disrupted service, and the Department of Homeland Security maintains its policy of neither confirming nor denying agent identities for security reasons.
The protests represent broader opposition to President Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has brought thousands of ICE agents to Minnesota following campaign promises of historic deportation operations. Monique Cullars-Doty, Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder and protest organizer, stated to CBS News that activists “can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.
In a significant escalation, the Pentagon has placed 1,500 active-duty soldiers on standby for potential deployment after President Trump suggested invoking the Insurrection Act—a 19th-century law last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots—to address the protests. Meanwhile, a federal judge has limited crowd control tactics ICE agents can use against peaceful demonstrators.
Separately, the Justice Department has opened investigations into Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both Democrats, for allegedly impeding federal immigration operations. The DHS reports approximately 3,000 arrests in Minneapolis since deployments began.
The controversy stems from the death of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three who was shot while observing ICE activities from her vehicle. While city officials maintain she was legally documenting operations, the Trump administration has labeled her a “domestic terrorist” and claims the agent acted in self-defense.