Pam Bondi drops hammer on 30 more anti-ICE agitators accused of storming Minnesota church

The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Friday charging 30 more people who allegedly stormed Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, last month.

The arrests are related to an incident that occurred on January 18, when anti-immigration enforcement protesters entered the church, disrupting its Sunday service and intimidating the attendees.

'The First Amendment does not give anyone — regardless of profession, prominence, or politics — license to storm a church.'

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she instructed federal agents to apprehend 25 of the newly indicted individuals, vowing that more arrests would follow.

"YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you," Bondi wrote in a post on social media. "This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith."

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed additional details about the indictment, stating that the individuals had been charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, commonly known as the FACE Act.

RELATED: Anti-ICE radical who took credit for the invasion of Minnesota church ARRESTED by feds

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Patel explained that the FBI had carried out a joint operation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations to arrest the suspects. He also noted that there would be additional arrests.

"This makes 39 indictments in the Cities Church case total so far, including the arrest of Don Lemon and multiple alleged leaders of the riot last month," Patel stated. "Let it be known: This FBI will never tolerate anyone who targets, intimidates, or attacks Americans peacefully exercising their right to worship freely."

Lemon was arrested on January 29 and released the following day. He pleaded not guilty to violations of the FACE Act and conspiracy to violate another's constitutional rights. The other original eight defendants in the case also pleaded not guilty.

RELATED: 'You are on notice!' Don Lemon backs anti-ICE radicals who stormed Saint Paul church — but DOJ vows reckoning

Kash Patel. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

True North Legal, the law firm representing Cities Church, responded to the superseding indictment and additional arrests in a Friday statement.

"The indictment of 30 additional people for their involvement in the invasion of Cities Church sends a clear message: Houses of worship are off limits for those who would use chaos and intimidation to advance a political agenda," Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal, stated. "The invasion of Cities Church was a planned, coordinated effort to disrupt a worship service and interfere with religious exercise that placed congregants, including children, in fear for their lives. The First Amendment does not give anyone — regardless of profession, prominence, or politics — license to storm a church and intimidate, threaten, and terrorize families and children worshipping inside."

"Cities Church is grateful for the Department of Justice's continued commitment to enforcing federal law to protect churches and other places of worship. The Department's aggressive prosecution of this case affirms a foundational principle: In the United States, the sanctuary remains a sanctuary," Wardlow added.

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