This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show in Minneapolis as the city endures its third week of occupation by a force of over 3,000 federal immigration agents accused of violating human and civil rights and of fatally shooting resident Renee Good. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino defended the agents’ actions Tuesday as, quote, “legal, ethical and moral,” unquote. As protests continue calling for ”ICE out for Good,” a play on Renee Good’s name, Vice President JD Vance will travel to Minneapolis Thursday.
This comes as the Justice Department served grand jury subpoenas on several top Democratic officials, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, accusing them of obstructing federal law enforcement activities in the state. Attorney General Ellison said in a statement Tuesday, quote, “Everything about this is highly irregular, especially the fact that this comes shortly after my office sued the Trump Administration to challenge their illegal actions within Minnesota,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department is investigating demonstrators who disrupted Sunday services at a church in St. Paul to protest one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, who is reportedly a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.
PROTESTERS: Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good! Justice for Renee Good!
AMY GOODMAN: Among those joining the protest were Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars and longtime civil rights leader and ordained reverend Nekima Levy Armstrong.
JONATHAN PARNELL: Shame on you! Shame on you!
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: David Easterwood is a pastor here. He is also the director of the field office for ICE in St. Paul. So, someone who claims to worship God, teaching people in this church about God, is out there overseeing ICE agents.
AMY GOODMAN: Now federal officials claim the church protest is a potential violation of the FACE Act — that’s the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which is usually used to protect entrances to abortion clinics. Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem told Newsmax arrests may be coming soon.
HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: And that pastor really did a remarkable thing there, trying to protect his parishioners.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN: And even the parishioners, I imagine, have felt and feel intimidated and —
HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: They did. And there’s going to be arrests. In the next several hours, Greta, there will be arrests tied to that.
AMY GOODMAN: David Easterwood’s church issued a statement that, quote, “Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation,” unquote.
Meanwhile, activists again gathered Tuesday to call for the pastor’s resignation due to his possible connection to ICE.
For more, we’re joined by Nekima Levy Armstrong, Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney, founder of the Racial Justice Network. Yes, she’s also an ordained reverend and a preacher.
We welcome you back to Democracy Now! You’re joining us today from an undisclosed location. If you can explain what happened on Sunday, a protest that you were a part of?
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: Yes. So, Amy, four Black women activists and organizers planned Sunday’s protest, and I was one of the four. And we are unapologetic about going into the church.
We participated in the first part of the service, and the pastor prayed during the service, “Dear God, please chasten us and help us to get our house in order.” So, when he was done praying, I stood up, and I said, “Excuse me, Pastor, you just prayed this particular prayer.” And he said, “Correct.” And I said, “Well, help me understand: How is David Easterwood a pastor here and also a director of ICE in St. Paul?”
As soon as I mentioned David Easterwood’s name, the pastor yells out, “Shame! Shame!” over the microphone. It was clear that he didn’t want to engage me in discussion about this in front of the congregation, because he didn’t want people in the congregation to know about this conflict of interest that David Easterwood has. I mean, how can you serve as a pastor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ while overseeing the brutal conduct of ICE agents, who are literally terrorizing communities in the Twin Cities of Minnesota?
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you respond now to Pam Bondi saying that the protesters, presumably including you, will be arrested? She said this yesterday, but she said it would be within hours. And talk about — more about your decision to go into the church.
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: I can’t speak to Pam Bondi and the federal government’s decision to, you know, investigate those of us who were involved in the protest. There were probably around two dozen or so people. I can’t speak to their decision-making, because these are the same individuals who have firmly decided that they will not investigate ICE agent Jonathan Ross for the killing of Renee Good. I mean, if that’s not hypocrisy, I’m not sure what is. How do you investigate and threaten to arrest nonviolent, peaceful protesters who are literally coming into a church to raise questions about this conflict of interest for this pastor? I mean, where is the separation of church and state? And if they’re so concerned about what happens inside of churches, then why did Donald Trump roll back protections for churches when it comes to ICE? As a matter of fact, ICE agents can go into churches with a warrant, and they can take people out and detain them. There have been cases of ICE agents waiting in parking lots to apprehend people as they are going in or coming out of church services. So, clearly, the Trump administration could care less about the sanctity of a church.
I, however, as an ordained reverend, do care. I believe that if someone professes to represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to preach it, that they should not be allowing ICE agents to drag people out of their homes, cut women out of seat belts in their cars and drag them out, bust down doors, bust out car windows, bring people out half-naked in the freezing cold to detain them, taking trophy pictures with Black men and others that they’ve apprehended in their homes, scaring children, tear-gassing children and families, almost killing a 6-month-old through the use of high-powered, military-grade weapons such as flashbang grenades and very strong tear gas. I mean, these are real things that we’re dealing with here in the state of Minnesota. It’s delusional to pretend that these things aren’t happening. It’s delusional to pretend that there [isn’t] a significant problem with David Easterwood serving as a pastor and as the overseer of ICE and defending their conduct, minimizing their conduct.
So, why are people who are raising their voices on behalf of the vulnerable, on behalf of the poor, in the name of Jesus Christ, the ones being persecuted? It is absolutely an abomination, what is happening right now. And I am — I’m continuing to stand 10 toes down for my community and in speaking the truth and in demanding justice and accountability. An ICE agent should not be able to kill someone with impunity. But that is exactly what we see happening with the murder of Renee Good. So we will continue to center these issues. We will not be gaslit by the federal government continuing to weaponize their investigative powers against those with whom they disagree, even our governor, our mayor, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. You know, there are so many people that they’ve decided to investigate other than the wrongdoers. And I think that that’s unconscionable, it’s disgusting, it’s despicable, and it’s antithetical to democratic values in our democracy.
AMY GOODMAN: Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has also said the ex-CNN journal Don Lemon may face charges for covering the protest. Dhillon has said journalism is not a shield from a criminal conspiracy, and [she] said that Don Lemon was “committing journalism.” Can you respond to this, as we wrap up?
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: It’s absolutely absurd. Don Lemon had no idea what the protest would even entail. For this particular protest, the only people who are aware of what’s going to happen are the organizers. So, Don Lemon made the decision to come to Minnesota on Sunday. He reached out on Saturday night after he saw my flyer for the protest that I posted on social media. And I said, “You know, if you want to come and document, you’re welcome to, but I cannot give you any information about the demonstration itself.”
So, this is an attack on the free press, as we’ve seen time and time again from the Trump administration. Don Lemon did nothing wrong, other than being there documenting our voices, as well as the voices of parishioners, and asking them what they thought about ICE, what they thought about Pastor David Easterwood being a high-ranking official within ICE. Some of the parishioners didn’t even know about this man’s dual role. So, Don Lemon did his job as a journalist, and he should be protected.
And this is along the lines of what has happened to journalists, whether they are being smeared in the media, threatened with investigation or physically assaulted by ICE agents in the field. We’ve had journalists wearing press badges and still being tear-gassed, still being shot with rubber bullets and harmed by ICE agents and others who are a part of the federal government. This has to end.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you so much for being with us, Nekima.
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: It’s [inaudible], and it’s —
AMY GOODMAN: And I just want to ask you in the 10 seconds we have: Do you fear being arrested at any moment?
NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG: It is very possible that I will be. But I’m still standing firm on behalf of our democracy, and I’m not afraid of the Trump administration and their shenanigans.
AMY GOODMAN: Nekima Levy Armstrong, Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney, founder of the Racial Justice Network, also ordained reverend and preacher.
Next up, as President Trump repeats his threat to seize Greenland, we’ll go to Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum has become an emergency summit. The Canadian prime minister is warning of a “rupture in the world order.” We’ll speak to the head of Oxfam International. Stay with us.
