On Thursday, the Trump administration touted the arrest of several demonstrators who recently disrupted services at a Minnesota church, apparently to protest a pastor linked to ICE. Then, as so often happens with this administration, things took a turn for the grimly bizarre when federal officials shared an AI photo of one of the protesters that had been digitally altered to make it appear as if she were openly sobbing.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi confirmed Thursday morning that she had directed FBI and Homeland Security agents to execute an arrest warrant against Nekima Levy Armstrong, writing that she was instrumental in planning the protest at Cities Church, which Bondi described as a “coordinated attack.” Bondi later announced the arrests of two others, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly, in connection with the incident. According to the FBI, they are being investigated for possible violations of the FACE Act, which bars threats to houses of worship.
“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi wrote.
The government reportedly sought to press charges against Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor who was present at the protest, but a Minnesota judge declined to sign off on the criminal complaint, per the Washington Post. Lemon’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client was on the scene reporting as a journalist.
The White House highlighted the arrest of Armstrong, a local civil-rights attorney and former president of the NAACP’s Minnesota chapter, on social media. But it did so in its typically mocking tone, posting a photo of a handcuffed Armstrong being escorted by officers that had been digitally altered to make it appear that she was in tears. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem shared what appeared to be the original photo that showed Armstrong with a more neutral expression.
https://t.co/ACPZFX2m3x pic.twitter.com/MyvE9HkSRA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 22, 2026
The administration confirmed to CNN’s Daniel Dale that the image had been manipulated. According to the outlet, the White House directed the reporter to a statement from a spokesperson that read, “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.”
White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson doubled down on the message and mocked those questioning its use on social media:
“uM, eXCuSe mE??? iS tHAt DiGiTAlLy AlTeReD?!?!?!?!?!” pic.twitter.com/BJdh5XUldB
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) January 22, 2026
This is not the first time that the White House has used AI-produced images to promote its policies or political actions. The administration has previously shared animated images of crying migrants being deported or Trump standing next to alligators wearing ICE hats to promote the federal government’s Florida detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that protesters disrupted Sunday services at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist church located in St. Paul, after the revelation that one of its pastors reportedly works for ICE. Per the outlet, David Easterwood, who is believed to be the acting director of the ICE field office in St. Paul, was named in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Minnesota concerning the controversial and aggressive tactics used by the agency’s agents in the state. Videos from the incident show protesters chanting “Justice for Renee Good,” the 37-year-old wife and mother who was fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this month. President Donald Trump called for the demonstrators’ arrest, denouncing them as “troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country.”
Armstrong, among other activists, had called for Easterwood to resign as the church’s pastor, citing his affiliation with ICE. “You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities,” she said Tuesday, per the Associated Press.
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