Two federal judges have denied requests from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to detain three left-wing protesters accused of storming a Minnesota church in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to NBC News, U.S. District Judge Laura M. Provinzino ruled on the cases of Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, while a separate federal magistrate judge ordered the release of a third protester, William Scott Kelly.
In her order, Judge Provinzino said DOJ attorneys failed to justify keeping the defendants in custody.
“Justice Department lawyers did not demonstrate that a detention hearing is warranted, or that detention is otherwise appropriate,” Provinzino wrote.
The judge also claimed the Trump administration provided “no factual or legal support” for its argument that the incident constituted a “crime of violence.” Kelly was similarly released by a federal magistrate judge in a separate ruling.
Levy-Armstrong, Allen, and Kelly were charged by criminal complaint in a case involving an unknown number of additional suspects. Because not all defendants are currently in custody, the criminal affidavit — a sworn statement used to establish probable cause — remains partially redacted.
The charges were filed under the federal FACE Act, a law originally designed to protect reproductive health facilities but which also includes protections for houses of worship.
Breitbart News reporter Amy Furr noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi had announced the arrests earlier this week.
“Minutes ago at my direction, @HSI_HQ and @FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota,” Bondi wrote on X. “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.”
Bondi’s announcement followed a highly publicized incident in which protesters invaded Cities Church during a service to protest ICE. The mob reportedly targeted the church after learning that one of its pastors allegedly also worked for ICE.
Former CNN host Don Lemon livestreamed part of the incident on YouTube, explaining that protesters had chosen the church because of the pastor’s alleged law enforcement ties.
While the judges’ rulings allow the accused activists to remain free for now, the case continues — and it raises fresh concerns about how federal law is applied when left-wing activists disrupt religious services and intimidate congregations under the banner of political protest.
