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The lead pastor of a Minnesota church is recounting the chilling moment anti-ICE activists stormed a Sunday service, describing the harrowing invasion as an act of “malevolent darkness” meant to terrorize families.
In January, a group of protesters interrupted a worship service at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, over claims the church was affiliated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Cities Church Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell described the protest as an “ambush” and said agitators were screaming in children’s faces.
“In that instant, I interpreted what was going on: this was about provocation, intimidation, and spectacle. They were here to incite violence,” Parnell wrote in a World op-ed published Tuesday.
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He said many worshipers fled “fearing it was an active shooter situation” and noted children were holding their hands up in fear.
“They had stormed into the house of God, a place of peace and refuge, and they defiled it with rage,” Parnell wrote.
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“Hell had barged into our local church that morning, boasting to have shut us down, but hell doesn’t have the final say. Nobody does, except God alone,” he later added.
He explained that a woman accused the church of “harboring” a federal agent linked to ICE. The incident occurred as the Department of Homeland Security faced heightened scrutiny after the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation with agents.
Parnell said cameras were shoved in his face, and he lost sight of his wife, children and congregation. He noted that the protesters appeared frustrated he would not engage with them and continued to harass the members.
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“They harassed individuals for their ethnicity and ‘uttered all kinds of evil’ against us falsely,” he said.
The Department of Justice has arrested and charged several individuals in the storming, noting they played a part in the “coordinated attack” on the church.
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Former CNN host Don Lemon has pleaded “not guilty” to federal charges related to his presence at the church. Lemon has denied wrongdoing and argued he was there as a journalist protected by the First Amendment.
Parnell said he believes those involved will “answer for what they have done in a court of earthly justice,” adding that, through his faith, he believes their sins can be wiped away.
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