Tim Walz's office claims governor 'in no way supports interrupting a place of worship' after anti-ICE agitators storm St Paul church

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has claimed in the wake of anti-ICE agitators storming a church service on Sunday in St Paul that he has "repeatedly" urged residents to protest "peacefully" in the state. Walz has been subpoenaed by a grand jury for allegedly obstructing federal immigration operations, and the Department of Justice is set to probe Walz’s role in Sunday’s incident.

"The Governor has repeatedly and unequivocally urged protesters to do so peacefully. While people have a right to speak out, he in no way supports interrupting a place of worship," Walz’s office told Fox News in a statement.

Senior DOJ advisor Alina Habba said on Monday that the department is probing what role Walz and other officials may have had in inciting Sunday’s incident. Anti-ICE agitators stormed into Cities Church in St Paul as worshipers were in the middle of Sunday service. One of the agitators filmed himself as he harassed churchgoers, yelling, "As you can see, all these pretend Christians, all these comfortable white people, who are living lavish, comfortable lives while children are dragged into concentration camps. You’re living real nice lives with your lattes, doing absolutely nothing for your Latino and Somali brothers and sisters."

Subpoenas have also been issued for Walz, as well as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement in the area. The latter official has told ICE to "get the f*ck out of Minneapolis," while both have encouraged Minnesotans to take to the streets and track and film federal law enforcement carrying out their duties.

Minneapolis makes up one half of the Twin Cities, with neighboring St Paul making up the other half. Radical groups in the Twin Cities area have been tracking federal law enforcement as they carry out their duties, using Signal chats to form "rapid response networks."