Trump Condemns Minnesota Church Protesters
On Tuesday, former President Trump criticized anti-ICE protesters who disrupted a church service in Minnesota, labeling them as professional “insurrectionists.” He called for their arrest and proposed that they be removed, along with “corrupt” politicians Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
The Justice Department is currently investigating the incident, where a group of protesters interrupted a service at St. Paul’s Cities Church on Sunday. They were reportedly looking for a pastor they accused of defrauding the acting director of ICE’s Minnesota office.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his outrage after viewing footage of the event. “These people are professionals!” he stated. “They are trained to scream and rant in a specific manner, just like madmen. They’re troublemakers who deserve to be jailed or expelled from the country,” he added.
Trump further insisted that Walz and Omar should take immediate action, asserting: “Investigate these corrupt politicians and do it now!”
His remarks followed a video release from the Department of Homeland Security, which blamed Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for inciting the mob’s anger.
DHS commented that protesters were moving from location to location, seeking out federal law enforcement who are endangering themselves to protect American citizens.
During the protest, attendees of the church faced harassment, with demonstrators accusing the resident pastor, David Eastwood, of being affiliated with ICE. Interestingly, Eastwood’s details seem to correspond with David Easterwood, identified in legal documents as the acting director of ICE’s St. Paul office.
Easterwood had previously attended a ceremony that also included DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. It’s worth noting that the protests have intensified in the Twin Cities following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, by ICE agents on January 7.
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, stated that her agency is looking into potential civil rights violations by protesters, emphasizing that houses of worship should be safeguarded from such disruptions. “They are not venues for protest!” she voiced on social media.
