October 2, 2026
ST. PAUL, Minn. (BP) – An anti-ICE protest disrupted the morning worship service at Cities Church Sunday morning, Jan. 18. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon livestreamed a portion of the event from inside the church building on YouTube.
Protestors could be heard chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “ICE out” throughout the video.
According to Lemon, the protestors interrupted the opening prayer of the Sunday worship service.
The protestors were alleging one of the church’s pastors was a member of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security, Lemon said on the video.
After a violent week in the Twin Cities, the Associated Press reported Sunday that the Pentagon announced it was putting 1,500 soldiers on standby to potentially report to Minneapolis to support the ongoing ICE operation in the city.
Last week, ICE agents were involved in two non-fatal shootings while apprehending suspects.
FOX9 in Minneapolis reports that more than 2,000 arrests have been made since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge.
Protestors have been clashing with local police and ICE agents on a daily basis.
In a post on X, North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell wrote, “This church is pastored by @sendnetwork‘s city missionary in Minneapolis-St. Paul. For protestors to disrupt a Sunday morning worship service this way is absurd. If elected officials won’t contain lawlessness @NAMB_SBC will provide security.”
Ezell said he had spoken with the missionary following the service. He reported “the kids in the worship service were terrified.”
SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg condemned the protest, calling it “absolutely wrong on every level.”
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Andrew Walker called the service’s disruption “utterly despicable.”
“There is no constitutional right to protest a private religious assembly,” Walker posted on X. “What Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have unleashed in their regime of disorder and lawlessness is shameful. God bless Cities Church.”
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This story appeared on Baptist Press.
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