Ice Protesters Who Interrupted Minnesota Church Service Won't Face State Charges, Prosecutor Says

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Dozens of anti-immigration enforcement protesters who look national criminal charges aft they interrupted a Minnesota religion work successful January, accompanied by erstwhile CNN journalist Don Lemon, will not additionally look authorities charges, a charismatic said Wednesday.

St. Paul City Atty. Irene Kao said successful a connection that “current grounds is insufficient to meet that modular for criminal charges nether Minnesota authorities statutes,” a determination heavy criticized by nan lead pastor astatine Cities Church, wherever nan protestation occurred.

“This determination should not beryllium interpreted arsenic an endorsement of unlawful behaviour aliases nationalist disorder,” Kao said. “The correct to peacefully protestation is protected, arsenic is nan correct to workout one’s belief beliefs. Balancing these arsenic important authorities is paramount to our determination today.”

The U.S. Justice Department brought national civilian authorities charges against 39 people, including Lemon and different independent journalist, aft a livestreamed video showed a group of group interrupting services astatine Cities Church connected Jan. 18 by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally changeable by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement supplier successful Minneapolis amid a surge successful national migration enforcement.

The protesters had learned that 1 of nan religion pastors was besides an ICE charismatic who had been overseeing nan intensive cognition successful Minnesota.

“According to nan St. Paul City Attorney’s logic, it is perfectly good for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, aliases a temple, intimidate nan families and children inside, and unopen down their belief gathering. Just telephone it a ‘protest,’” Cities Church lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said successful a written statement.

Violence, demolition of spot and threats to nationalist information stay superior concerns, Kao said, but nary of that occurred during nan demonstration.

Attorneys for nan religion said that conscionable because nan protesters did not break windows aliases destruct spot doesn’t mean they didn’t break nan law.

At slightest 4 states — Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas — adopted laws this twelvemonth making it a crime to disrupt believe services.