Protesters who stormed and shut down a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, will not face state criminal charges, the city’s attorney announced. However, the federal charges are still pending.
St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao said that her office would not charge former CNN journalist Don Lemon and the protestors involved in a planned disruption at Cities Church. On Jan. 18, dozens of protestors interrupted a Sunday morning church service, stopping the pastor from opening the service with prayer while shouting anti-ICE agent chants, and screaming in church members’ faces. The protestors claimed that one of the pastors was an ICE agent.
“They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat,” church elders explained.
Following the incident, 39 people, including Lemon and journalist Georgia Fort, faced federal charges, including violating the FACE ACT, a law that bars individuals from intimidating anyone who is exercising First Amendment rights at a place of religious worship. They were also charged with conspiring to interfere with the church members’ religious freedom rights.
In a statement, Kao said the evidence was not strong enough to lead to state criminal charges.
“Following a careful evaluation of the video footage, investigative reports, and other available materials, prosecutors determined that the current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes,” Kao said.
“The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs,” Kao said. “Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.”
Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell responded to the city’s decision.
“According to the St. Paul City Attorney’s logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, intimidate the families and children inside, and shut down their religious gathering,” Parnell said. “Just call it a ‘protest.’ City Attorney Irene Kao’s decision not to charge the agitators who invaded our church on January 18, 2026, leaves us to question whether her commitment to protect religious people includes evangelical Christians.”
Kao said the decision “should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder,” adding, “acts of violence, property destruction, or threats to public safety—none of which occurred here—remain serious concerns and will be prosecuted when supported by admissible evidence.”
Renee Carson, general counsel for True North Legal, which is legally representing the church, warned that capping what is considered unlawful conduct to outward violence “draws an arbitrary line that conveniently excludes statutory charges for other kinds of unlawful conduct.”
“Just because the agitators didn’t break any windows doesn’t mean they didn’t break the law,” Carson said.
The FACE Act states that people cannot “intimidate or interfere with” “any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
“The City Attorney’s assurance that the rights of religious people in St. Paul are protected means nothing when the governing authorities charged with enforcing those protections refuse to uphold the law,” she said.
