The church did ask them to leave: tresspasing
Yes, the lead pastor of Cities Church in St. Paul, Jonathan Parnell, explicitly asked the protesters to leave during the incident on January 18, 2026. [1, 2]
According to reports and accounts of the event:
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The Request: Pastor Parnell told protesters that the congregation had gathered to worship and that the agitators should leave.
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The Reaction: The protesters did not leave immediately, continuing their demonstration inside the sanctuary before eventually moving outside.
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The Context: The protest, led by activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, was targeting an alleged link between one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, and his role as a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official. [1, 2, 3, 4]