A senior aide to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is now facing federal charges after participating in an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul earlier this year — an incident that has intensified debate over political activism, religious liberty, and immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Jamael Lundy, the intergovernmental affairs coordinator in Moriarty’s office, was identified among demonstrators who entered the church sanctuary on January 18, 2026, chanting slogans and attempting to halt the service. Lundy is also a Democratic candidate for Minnesota State Senate District 65 and is married to St. Paul City Council member Anika Bowie, according to a report by The Daily Wire.
Moriarty has a history of promoting leftwing violence by turning a blind eye toward it. Last April she refused to press charges against a state worker who caused more than $20,000 in damages to Teslas parked in a Minneapolis neighborhood during a fit of rage against Elon Musk.
The protest targeted Cities Church over allegations that one of its pastors served in an official capacity with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Demonstrators moved inside the sanctuary during worship, raising their voices and confronting church leadership. Video footage from the scene appears to show Lundy raising his fist and leading chants that included the pastor’s name followed by “OUT, OUT,” and the refrain, “Who shut this down? We shut this down.”
At one point, a protester declared, “This ain’t God’s house, it’s the house of the devil.”
Before entering the church, Lundy briefly spoke with journalist Don Lemon, who was covering the protest outside. Asked about his presence, Lundy said: “I’m here to support our community activists. I’m currently a candidate for Minnesota State Senate District 65. I feel like it’s important if you’re going to be representing people in office, that you’re out here with the people as well.”
He added: “We all we got. I’m actually married to an elected official; I work closely with elected officials, but direct action from the community, certainly within the lines of the law, is so important to show that we have one voice.”
Lemon described the gathering as grassroots organizing without official backing, emphasizing that participants were acting independently even as he interviewed Lundy.
Inside the church, the disruption triggered panic among congregants. Some reportedly fled the building and slipped on ice outside as they attempted to leave. A pastor later condemned the interruption in stark terms: “Our church had gathered for worship, which we do every Sunday, and we were interrupted by this group of protesters. We asked them to leave, and obviously they have not left. This is unacceptable, it’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has since opened a civil rights investigation into the incident. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced that federal authorities were examining whether the protest constituted unlawful interference with religious exercise. Charges have now been filed against several individuals involved, including Lundy, under federal statutes that prohibit interference with religious freedoms. Some defendants have been released on bond after pleading not guilty.
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