Nekima Levy Armstrong holds up her fist after speaking at an anti-ICE rally for Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)2026-01-22T14:41:30Z MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A woman who led an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church has been arrested, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday. Bondi announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong in a post on X days after protesters during Sunday service entered the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor. The Justice Department quickly opened a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting ICE out and Justice for Renee Good, referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. Bondi Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP, the attorney general wrote on X. Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and prominent local activist, had called for the pastor affiliated with ICE to resign, saying his dual role poses a fundamental moral conflict. You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities, she said Tuesday. When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation into killings like Rene Goods, and signal they may pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice it is intimidation. Prominent leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have come to the churchs defense, arguing that compassion for migrant families affected by the crackdown cannot justify violating a sacred space during worship. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on A longtime activist in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Levy Armstrong has helped lead local protests after the high-profile police-involved killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd, Philando Castile and Jamar Clark. She is a former president of the NAACPs Minneapolis branch. It was not immediately clear what charge or charges Levy Armstrong faces. Justice Department officials have said in recent days they were considering charging the protesters under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The FACE Act prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services or seeking to participate in a service at a house of worship. The Trump administration has criticized the Biden administration for using the FACE Act to prosecute people for blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers, calling the cases an example of the weaponization of law enforcement. The Justice Departments swift investigation into the church disruption stands in contrast to its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Goods killing by an ICE officer. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week there is no basis at this time for a civil rights investigation into her death.Administration officials have said the officer acted in self-defense and that the driver of the Honda was engaging in an act of domestic terrorism when she pulled forward toward him. But the decision not to have the departments Civil Rights Division investigate marked a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials. The Justice Department has separately opened an investigation into whether Minnesota officials impeded or obstructed federal immigration enforcement though their public statements. Prosecutors this week sent subpoenas to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, according to a person familiar with the matter.___Durkin Richer reported from Washington. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter GIOVANNA DELLORTO DellOrto is a multimedia reporter with The APs Global Religion team. She has reported across the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, covering events and issues ranging from the conclave to the Israel-Hamas war to the Olympics, from immigration to the intersection of Indigenous spirituality and the environment. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site