JD Vance wants 'more arrests' against Minneapolis anti‑ICE protesters who disrupted church

TOLEDO, OHIO: Vice President JD Vance made a demand for stringent action over the recent protest at a church in Minnesota where demonstrators opposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Vance made his position clear, saying that anti-ICE protesters who disrupted the St Paul church service should be arrested and face strict action from the DOJ.

A civil rights attorney and at least two others were arrested on Thursday, January 22, for disrupting church service during an anti-ICE protest on Sunday, January 18.

The incident drew widespread attention after protesters interrupted the service and accused the pastor of being an undercover ICE agent.

JD Vance says 'more prosecutions' coming over church protest

JD Vance visited Ohio and Minnesota, spoke at a rail facility in Toledo, and later met with ICE officials in Minneapolis. Vance answered several questions from the Ohio press.

One of them asked, "After an attack on a church that killed school children, what does it mean to you that another attack happened on a church last weekend, and do you want to see more arrests for this attack? 

Vance said, "I certainly want to see more arrests because I've seen the videos, and they're very clearly more people who violated the law."

He continued, "Now, I'll let the Department of Justice [DOJ] speak to that because, as you know, actually, getting an arrest warrant is not a walk at a park necessarily."

"There's a legal process that we have in this country, and rightfully so, but I know the Department of Justice continues to work on bringing every single person who is involved in that church protest," he added.

The vice president went on to say, "It's not just a protest when you interrupt people during a worship service, that is a violation of the law. Just as you have the right to protest, they have a right to worship God as they choose, and when you interrupt that, that is a violation of the law."

"So, yes, I think we're going to see more prosecutions there. I certainly hope that we're going to see more prosecutions there, but I'll let the Department of Justice speak to the timeline there," he said. 

Even during his interaction at Newsmax the same day, Vance said that protesters who interrupt church services or assault law enforcement officers "ought to get arrested" and "ought to go to prison," as federal authorities announced charges tied to a disruptive protest in the Twin Cities area.

Minnesota St Paul church protest arrests

The DOJ launched a civil rights investigation after a group interrupted a church service, chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother, whom a federal agent shot. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the seriousness of the incident, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.”

The protest took place at Cities Church in St Paul, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention and lists David Easterwood, who leads the local ICE field office, as one of its pastors.