Protesters disrupt Minneapolis church service over Pastor’s alleged ICE ties

Demonstrators interrupted services at Cities Church after online claims connected a church leader to federal immigration enforcement, as protests against ICE continue across the Twin Cities.

Protesters in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area disrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church this week after discovering online claims that one of the church’s pastors also serves in a senior role with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Videos and posts circulating on social media show demonstrators chanting and speaking out inside the church as the service was underway. 

Join us this Sunday
8:30AM / 10:30AM pic.twitter.com/pEXuiFnicM— Cities Church (@citieschurch) January 16, 2026

According to social media posts, the pastor identified by protesters is David Easterwood, who has been listed in federal records as the Acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Saint Paul Office of ICE.  Protesters say they entered the church and interrupted the service to call attention to what they describe as an unacceptable overlap between religious leadership and immigration enforcement roles. 

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At this time, there is no independent confirmation in major news reports establishing that the pastor at Cities Church and the federal ICE official are the same individual. Some social posts and videos make that claim, but mainstream outlets have not verified that identity. 

This is in fact his face and name as a pastor at the Cities Church and Acting Director for ICE in Minneapolis Minnesota : So protester WERE CORRECT in their allegations that he is both a Pastor, and ICE. https://t.co/mNoOPjMwMEhttps://t.co/yYhrieOaoY pic.twitter.com/18KzfCXSwY— MONROE COUNTY STOLE MY CHILD (@justaudhd_aries) January 18, 2026

The disruptions come amid intense and ongoing protests in Minneapolis after a federal immigration enforcement surge following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent earlier this month sparked widespread demonstrations, community grief, and heated debate about federal enforcement tactics. 

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Protesters in the Twin Cities have repeatedly expressed deep concerns about the presence of ICE and federal agents in the region, saying enforcement has created fear and tension in their community. Meanwhile, local advocacy and legal groups, including the ACLU and others, have emphasized the importance of lawful protest.

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While coverage of Sunday’s protests at Cities Church has remained alarmingly absent from mainstream media, independent journalists, including former CNN reporter Don Lemon, have provided live coverage from the site of the protests, including interviews with Pastor Jonathan Parnell and churchgoers.

Meanwhile, right-leaning social media posts have included disparaging remarks about both Lemon and the anti-ICE protestors, while also warning that actions perceived as interfering with religious services could prompt legal scrutiny under federal statutes that protect places of worship. The 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act makes it a federal crime to use force or threats to interfere with religious worship and gatherings.