Levy Armstrong and Allen were taken into federal custody Thursday in connection with a protest last weekend at Cities Church in St. Paul.<\/p>\n
MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 A federal judge ordered Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Allen, two community activists arrested in connection with a church protest<\/a> over immigration enforcement, released from federal custody Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n Levy Armstrong’s nonprofit Racial Justice Network<\/a> first reported the news about the activists’ impending release.<\/p>\n Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist, and Allen, a member of the St. Paul School Board, were among at least three people apprehended related to the disruption of a church service on Sunday. A man, William Kelly, was also arrested.\u00a0<\/p>\n Minutes ago at my direction, @HSI_HQ<\/a> and @FBI<\/a> agents executed an arrest in Minnesota.<\/p>\n So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.<\/p>\n We will share more updates as they\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted a photo to social media<\/a> shortly after the arrest, showing Levy Armstrong in custody and stating she is being charged with a federal crime under federal statute 18 USC 241<\/a>, which deals with civil rights conspiracy.<\/p>\n “Despite aggressive attempts by federal prosecutors to delay and derail the process, the courts stood firm in defense of constitutional rights, due process, and the rule of law,” the organization said in its statement. “… We are profoundly grateful that the judicial system upheld justice today, and we demand that this ruling be honored immediately and without further frivolous appeals.”<\/p>\n Levy Armstrong and the others were arrested Thursday in response to a demonstration held on Jan. 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul. Federal authorities called the protest a “coordinated attack” on places of worship \u2014 claims RJN called a “gross distortion of facts.”\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI surrendered myself peacefully, deliberately, and with intention,” Levy Armstrong said in a statement. “I demanded dignity, humanity, and respect, not just for myself, but for every person who has ever been brutalized, silenced, or disappeared by unchecked government power. We stood in protest because families are being torn apart, communities terrorized, and constitutional rights trampled. And we will not be intimidated into silence.\u201d<\/p>\n