Federal authorities have arrested three of the people connected to an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service on Sunday in St. Paul.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday morning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney who helped organize the protest.

Minutes later, Bondi announced Chauntyll Louisa Allen was also arrested. She’s listed as the clerk of the St. Paul Board of Education.

RELATED: Church consulting legal counsel after Sunday service disrupted by protestors

“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi wrote on social media.

UPDATE: A second arrest has been made at my direction. Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody.

More to come.

WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP 🙏🏻

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 22, 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later announced Thursday afternoon that William Kelly was arrested and would be charged with “conspiracy to deprive rights.”

William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, and violating the FACE act 18 USC 248 for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots. pic.twitter.com/IlktEkhu7b

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 22, 2026

A magistrate judge on Thursday ordered the release of both Levy Armstrong and Allen and did not grant requests for detention hearings.

The protest happened at Cities Church on Summit Avenue on Sunday, as roughly 30 to 40 protesters walked into the church during service at around 10:40 a.m. in protest of a pastor at the church who is also believed to serve as a local ICE official.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke to Levy Armstrong the day after the protest, and she said the goal was to have a dialogue with church leaders about the impact of ICE.

“People have been saying we shouldn’t protest. They always think there’s no time or place or location that is appropriate for using our voices,” Levy Armstrong said.

RELATED: DOJ investigating anti-ICE protest at St. Paul church

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its intent to investigate the protest, and Noem says Levy Armstrong is being charged with violating 18 USC 241, the “conspiracy against rights” section of the Constitution, which makes it a crime for a group to conspire to hurt or intimidate anyone exercising their rights — in this case, practicing a religion.

“What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment,” the North American Mission Board, which is associated with the church, said in a statement. Others say the protest is protected by free speech.

Attorney Jordan Kushner, who is representing Levy Armstrong, says he was present when his client was arrested at a hotel.

“This is not a legitimate prosecution,” said Kushner. “I’ve seen a lot of unjust prosecutions; there isn’t anything that’s on the scale of a political persecution that I’ve seen as this case.”

Many supporters celebrated the judge’s decision to not keep the two women detained.

“Today we got justice for Nekima and Chauntyll, the system did the right thing,” said Raeisha Williams, a community activist.

“There’s real legitimate questions about whether the DOJ will be able to move forward with these charges,” said Rachel Moran, University of St. Thomas law professor.

Moran says it’ll be the DOJ’s job to prove what the protesters were actually trying to do.

“Part of the conspiracy is you’re doing it for the purpose of threatening or intimidating people and these defendants may very well argue they had a different purpose,” Moran said.

Attorneys representing Cities Church released the following statements:

Renee Carlson, general counsel for True North Legal:

“The Constitution and federal law protect people who gather in peace to worship God, which was exactly what Cities Church was doing January 18. Families go to church for hope, not fear. I know from personal experience that Cities Church is about loving its neighbors and serving the city. The church’s actions speak louder than the words of the people who shattered the peace of the church. The First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship, and intimidate small children. There is no ‘press pass’ to invade a sanctuary or to conspire to interrupt religious services. The Constitution protects citizens from threats against fundamental rights by the government, but it also requires government to protect those same rights when they are jeopardized by private actors. True North Legal is proud to represent Cities Church and is grateful that the Justice Department for taking violations of religious liberty seriously.”

Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal:

“The First Amendment protects the God-given rights of every American to assemble and to worship God. It does not give anyone the right to invade a church and terrorize worshippers. That’s a federal crime: the FACE Act prohibits intimidating or interfering with people worshipping in a church. It is outrageous that, instead of doing their jobs and protecting Minnesotans’ rights, state officials like Keith Ellison choose to mock the invasion of a church.  Thankfully, the U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the terrible crime. The arrests and the prosecutions to follow will help ensure that mob aggression like Cities Church experienced will not be repeated in any other house of worship. We are thankful for the Justice Department’s swift action, and we are exploring all legal options to protect the church and prevent further invasions.”

Kushner also expressed disappointment in the White House for posting on social media an edited photo of Armstrong’s arrest that shows her crying.

“I was present at her arrest. She was completely calm, composed and rational,” Kushner said. “That is just so outrageous that the White House would make up stories about someone to try and discredit them.”

Kaelan Dorr, the deputy assistant to the president and White House deputy communications director, responded on X, saying, “YET AGAIN to the people who feel the need to reflexively defend perpetrators of heinous crimes in our country I share with you this message: Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

On the left is a picture DHS posted of Nekima-Levy Armstrong being detained and on the right is the picture the White House posted on its X account.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is working to confirm more details. Follow KSTP-TV for the latest updates.

Cities Church in St. Paul (KSTP)
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