Cities Church in St. Paul (AP photo/Angelica Katsanis)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – Protesters involved in the St. Paul church demonstration have filed a motion to drop the charges against them.
Attorneys representing 33 of the defendants argued in a joint federal filing that the January anti-ICE protest did not involve physical force, violence, or blocked access, meaning the actions do not legally fit the federal civil rights charges brought against them.
This request follows a string of legal developments in the high-profile case, which includes charges against notable figures like Don Lemon and local civil rights activist Nekima Levy Armstrong.
36 total were charged, and have all pleaded not guilty.
A federal judge will evaluate the filing to determine whether the case proceeds to trial or is thrown out.
The protesters had learned that one of the church pastors at St. Paul’s Cities Church was also an official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who had been overseeing an intensive Minnesota operation.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged the protesters with conspiracy against religious freedom and interfering with the right of religious freedom.
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