Don Lemon hires ex–U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson to fight FACE Act charges from St. Paul ICE church protest
Don Lemon has retained former Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson—who resigned weeks ago—and high‑profile lawyer Abbe Lowell to help fight federal indictment on conspiracy, the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act arising from a Jan. 18 protest that disrupted a Cities Church service in St. Paul targeting Pastor David Easterwood, alleged to be acting ICE field director; DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI are investigating and nine people have been charged, with two additional arrests announced (Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson). The case, DOJ’s first known criminal use of the FACE Act’s religious‑worship protections, has drawn national attention as a potential precedent, prompting calls from activists for Easterwood’s resignation and warnings from religious leaders about protecting worship without disruption.
📌 Key Facts
- On Jan. 18, 2026, activists led by Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullers and the Racial Justice Network disrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, confronting congregants and targeting Pastor David Easterwood, who protesters say is the acting ICE field office director for Minnesota.
- The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI opened an investigation and have vowed to pursue federal charges tied to the protest, invoking the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act’s religious‑worship protections and related statutes.
- Federal prosecutors have indicted nine defendants — including Nekima Levy‑Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, Don Lemon and Georgia Fort — charging them under both the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871; Attorney General Pam Bondi announced two additional arrests (Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson).
- The indictment describes congregants fleeing in fear and alleges a child wondered if their parents "were going to die," details prosecutors cite to justify applying the FACE and KKK Acts in this case.
- This appears to be the Justice Department’s first known criminal prosecution using the FACE Act’s religious‑worship provision (past FACE criminal cases mostly targeted reproductive‑clinic protests), making the case a potential national precedent amid recent political context that included President Trump pardoning prior FACE convicts.
- Don Lemon livestreamed the church protest, is charged in the federal case (including conspiracy and FACE Act counts), and has retained former acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joe Thompson — who until recently led federal prosecutions in the state — and high‑profile defense lawyer Abbe Lowell to represent him.
- Religious leaders and members of the Cities Church congregation are divided: some call for de‑escalation while others support the pastor’s federal role; clergy statewide have urged protection of worshippers’ rights, warned that barging into services crosses a line, and cautioned that using the FACE Act here could chill protest tactics or change sanctuary norms.
📊 Relevant Data
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, enacted in 1994, has primarily been used to prosecute disruptions at reproductive health clinics, with criminal prosecutions under its religious freedom component being extremely rare until recent years, marking this case as potentially the first known criminal prosecution for a violation at a place of worship.
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Since September 2025, there have been at least 13 documented shootings involving U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents during immigration enforcement operations, including fatal incidents, highlighting increased violence in such actions.
Trump's DHS has shot 13 people during immigration enforcement ... — NBC News
Venezuelan immigrants in the United States have a lower incarceration rate compared to native-born Americans, with data from 2010-2023 showing immigrants overall are less likely to be incarcerated.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 | Cato Institute — Cato Institute
Immigrants contribute approximately $26 billion to Minnesota's economy, including significant contributions from various immigrant groups through entrepreneurship and labor force participation.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
The primary causes of Venezuelan migration to the United States include economic collapse, political instability, and human rights abuses in Venezuela since 2015, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to over 8 million Venezuelans fleeing the country.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States - Migration Policy Institute — Migration Policy Institute
St. Paul, Minnesota, has seen significant growth in its immigrant population, with foreign-born residents increasing and contributing to overall population growth, where immigrants made up about 8% of Minnesotans in 2020, with ongoing increases through international migration.
By immigrant group - Minnesota Compass — Minnesota Compass
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Don Lemon has retained former Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joe Thompson — who resigned after refusing pressure to investigate Renee Good’s widow — as part of his defense team in the St. Paul church protest case.
- Lemon faces federal conspiracy and FACE Act charges tied to the Jan. 18, 2026 anti‑ICE protest inside a St. Paul church where Pastor David Easterwood is also the acting ICE field office director.
- Thompson, until weeks ago the senior federal prosecutor in Minnesota and lead on Feeding Our Future, will now be opposing the same U.S. Attorney’s Office that indicted Lemon, working with high‑profile defense lawyer Abbe Lowell.
- This case is the DOJ’s first known criminal prosecution using the religious‑worship side of the FACE Act since it was passed in 1994, making it a potential national precedent for future protest‑inside‑church cases.
- Confirms that the two additional people federally arrested Monday are Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson, both already named in last Friday’s indictment.
- Spells out that all nine defendants — including Nekima Levy‑Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, Don Lemon and Georgia Fort — are charged under both the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
- Explains that DOJ has essentially never before brought a criminal case under the FACE Act’s religious‑freedom section, making this a landmark prosecution; past FACE criminal actions focused on reproductive clinics.
- Details from the indictment’s narrative — including prosecutors’ claim that congregants fled in fear and a child reportedly wondered if their parents "were going to die" — which DOJ will use to justify applying the FACE and KKK Acts here.
- Reiterates that President Trump recently pardoned two dozen protesters previously convicted under FACE for clinic actions, underscoring the political context surrounding this new use against anti‑ICE activists.
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced two additional arrests in the Cities Church protest: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.
- Bondi publicly framed the case with the warning, "If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you," signaling DOJ’s posture toward future church‑based protests.
- The same live‑updates piece reiterates that ProPublica has identified Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP officer Raymundo Gutierrez as the shooters in the Alex Pretti killing, which DHS has still not confirmed.
- Confirms and amplifies that community activists, led by Nekima (Nekiva) Levy Armstrong and Monique Cullers, are publicly demanding that Pastor David Easterwood resign from Cities Church because he is allegedly the acting ICE field director for Minnesota.
- Provides detailed quotes from Armstrong and Cullers framing Easterwood’s dual role as a moral and theological conflict, not just a political one, and describing ICE operations as 'terrorism' incompatible with ministry.
- Clarifies that DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is actively investigating the Sunday protest at Cities Church for potential FACE Act violations, focusing on whether protesters illegally disrupted worship.
- Notes that Cities Church has now posted a formal statement responding to the protest and criticism (though the text is only referenced here, not fully quoted).
- The piece reports statements from Christian and other religious leaders in Minnesota urging that, whatever people think of immigration enforcement, federal authorities must protect the right to worship without disruption and avoid turning churches into proxy battlegrounds for ICE politics.
- Some interviewees distinguish between protesting outside versus interrupting an active service, warning that barging into worship crosses a line and risks FACE Act charges even when the target is an ICE‑linked pastor.
- The article notes concern among clergy that DOJ’s use of the FACE Act in this context could become a two‑edged sword—chilling direct‑action tactics against officials who hold dual roles in churches and government, while at the same time setting clearer boundaries around sanctuaries—including mosques and synagogues—during this ICE surge.
- It adds context on how the congregation is responding internally (calls for de‑escalation, some members supporting the pastor’s federal role, others uneasy about the church being tied so closely to ICE), which wasn’t in the initial law‑enforcement‑centric coverage.
- DOJ officials are now publicly vowing to pursue federal charges against activists who disrupted the Cities Church service, not just ‘review’ the incident.
- The article more clearly frames the legal basis as potential violations of the federal FACE Act and related statutes protecting access to religious services.
- It adds additional detail on federal rhetoric, casting the action not only as a civil-rights review but a likely criminal case, raising stakes for local protesters.
- Confirms that protesters interrupted an active Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting and confronting congregants specifically over pastor David Easterwood’s alleged role as ICE’s acting Minnesota field office director.
- Details that protest leaders, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and the Racial Justice Network, framed the action as targeting a church they say is ‘harboring’ the official overseeing ICE raids that are ‘wreaking havoc’ on immigrant communities.
- Reports that Don Lemon livestreamed the protest, Pastor Jonathan Parnell denounced the disruption as 'shameful' and told Lemon to leave unless he was there to worship, and that DOJ Civil Rights and the FBI have formally opened an investigation under the FACE Act and related statutes.