Senior DOJ adviser Alina Habba said the department is reviewing whether state and local leaders encouraged the actions that led to the disruption.
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey played a role in inciting a disruption of a Christian church service in St. Paul, with federal officials examining potential violations of the federal FACE Act.
The probe follows a Sunday incident in which anti-ICE activists entered Cities Church during worship, interrupting the service after alleging a pastor was affiliated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with some activists calling the church "white supremacist."
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2013258728137539707?s=20
Senior DOJ adviser Alina Habba said the department is reviewing whether state and local leaders encouraged the actions that led to the disruption. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed the investigation, writing on X that the incident is receiving “the highest level of attention” from the Justice Department.
https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/2013263800783303161?s=20
“This heinous act that occurred in Minnesota yesterday is receiving the highest level of attention from @TheJusticeDept,” Dhillon wrote. “@AGPamBondi & I are working around the clock, because no right in our Constitution is more sacred than the freedom to assemble & pray to God.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a separate statement that “attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”
The White House also weighed in, placing blame on Walz and Frey for escalating rhetoric around federal immigration enforcement. “Jacob Frey and Tim Walz have whipped these rioters into a frenzy and turned them loose to wreak havoc on Minneapolis,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, adding that the administration will continue enforcing federal law.
Federal officials are reviewing whether the disruption violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which also protects the right to religious worship by prohibiting obstruction, intimidation, or interference at places of worship.
The incident comes amid weeks of unrest in the Twin Cities, where protests intensified following a Jan. 7 shooting involving an ICE officer and activist Renee Good. Federal authorities say the officer acted in self-defense after Good allegedly used her vehicle as a weapon. Democratic officials have disputed that account.
Walz and Frey have both slammed federal immigration operations. Frey said Sunday on Face the Nation that increased federal enforcement has made residents feel targeted, not protected. “This is not about safety,” Frey said. “People in Minneapolis are speaking up.”
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