US Charges 30 More in Anti-ICE Protest at Minnesota Church

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday charged 30 more people accused of disrupting a Minnesota church service last month in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation.

The indictment vastly increases the scope of a criminal case that already included former CNN anchor Don Lemon, one of nine people initially charged. All 39 defendants are charged with conspiracy against the right of religious worship and violating a law that forbids obstructing access to houses of worship.

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Lemon and several others previously charged have pleaded not guilty. Lemon, now an independent journalist who livestreamed the demonstration, has argued the charges violate his free press rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Lemon and other defendants have argued they are being targeted for opposing the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

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