Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is pushing back against claims that anti-ICE protesters violated federal law during a disruption at a Minneapolis church, placing the FACE Act at the center of a growing legal and political dispute. The Justice Department is reviewing whether activists who interrupted Sunday services at St. Paul’s Cities Church broke federal statutes protecting religious worship.
Senior DOJ officials confirmed they are examining potential violations of both the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act. The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use force or intimidation to interfere with individuals exercising their First Amendment right to religious freedom at a place of worship. It also prohibits intentional property damage to churches and facilities providing reproductive health services.
Ellison rejected that interpretation during an appearance on former CNN host Don Lemon’s YouTube show. “And the FACE Act, by the way, is designed to protect the rights of people seeking reproductive rights,” Ellison said, adding that it prevents people from using religion “to break into women’s reproductive health centers.” He argued, “How they are stretching either of these laws to apply to people who protested in a church over the behavior of a religious leader is beyond me.”
Lemon has drawn scrutiny for his presence inside the church during the disruption, where he documented the scene. While Lemon said his actions were protected by the First Amendment, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sharply disagreed. “A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest!” Dhillon wrote. “Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lemon defended his conduct, saying, “It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist.” He added, “I stand by my reporting.”
The Justice Department has not announced whether formal charges will be filed.
