Where things stand now
• Officials subpoenaed: Leaders in Minnesota and the Twin Cities have criticized the Justice Department for subpoenaing them as part of an investigation into whether local officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement efforts that have drawn strong backlash.
• Church protest investigated: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said there would be arrests made related to the protests that disrupted a service at a St. Paul church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent reportedly serves as a pastor. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is investigating. The church said it welcomes “respectful dialogue,” and is evaluating “next steps with our legal counsel.”
• Immigration tensions: Minnesota is the latest epicenter of the Trump administration’s turbocharged, coast-to-coast immigration enforcement crackdown.
Hennepin County Attorney had this to say about the DOJ subpoenaing the offices of Minnesota officials
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, whose county was subpoenaed in the DOJ’s inquiry into several Minnesota government offices, condemns federal officers’ actions in the state.
Federal officials are targeting those who oppose the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Here's the latest
Federal officials are amping up pressure on opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, with several local and state leaders subpoenaed by the Justice Department and the threat of arrest and federal charges looming over some protesters.
The subpoenaed officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have, been vocal critics of the administration’s growing operation.
The subpoenas came as the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is investigating demonstrators who interrupted a church service in St. Paul Sunday, accusing them of “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
Here is the latest:
- DHS secretary says arrests coming in church protest: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday night there would be “arrests in the next several hours” related to the protest at the St. Paul church. As of early Wednesday, there was no word of any arrests made.
- Officials respond to subpoenas: Several leaders decried the subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice, with Frey saying it is an attempt “to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs,” and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison calling it “highly irregular.” St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said she is “unfazed by these tactics.”
- CBP official defends ICE enforcement in the state: Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who has led many of the region-specific operations, defended ICE operations in Minnesota, saying the “operations are lawful.” Protest groups and local officials have made a “difficult operating environment” for federal agents, he said, blaming “agitators” for impacting ordinary citizens who are getting swept up in immigration enforcement operations.
- Justice Department moving prosecutors: Top officials at the Justice Department are pushing for a surge of prosecutors to help the US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota with cases during the federal government’s crackdown around immigration-enforcement protests.
What we know about the federal laws that could be used to prosecute Minnesota church protesters
As the Justice Department investigates anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sunday, it is leaning on two federal laws – one more than 100 years old – to justify potential federal charges.
“Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long time,” Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, said on The Benny Show, a podcast by conservative influencer Benny Johnson.
Here’s what we know about the federal statutes Dhillon has cited in reference to the protest investigation:
• The FACE Act: The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act was enacted in 1994 and prohibits the use of force or physical obstruction to intentionally interfere with anyone lawfully exercising their First Amendment right of religious freedom. The statute also protects facilities that provide reproductive health services.
• The Ku Klux Klan Act: First enacted in 1871, the seldom-used KKK Act made it a federal crime to deny any group or person “any of the rights, privileges, or immunities, or protection, named in the Constitution,” according to the Office of the Historian at the US House of Representatives.
Read more about the laws and why context matters in this case here.
