The Justice Department arrested three individuals on Thursday who disrupted a church service during protests against immigration enforcement, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced. The announcement came shortly after Vice President JD Vance visited Minnesota.

Bondi announced in separate posts that Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen were arrested days after protesters disrupted Sunday services at City Church in St. Paul, a church where a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer also serves as pastor.

She later announced the arrest of William Kelly in a post on X.

The Justice Department quickly launched civil rights investigations after the group disrupted services, shouting "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good."

"To be clear: we do not tolerate attacks on places of worship," Bondi wrote on X.

"We will protect houses of worship," Bondi said in a second post announcing Allen's arrest. 

Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and prominent local activist, demanded the resignation of the pastor affiliated with ICE, claiming his dual role presented a "fundamental moral conflict."

Prominent Southern Baptist leaders defended the church, arguing that compassion for immigrant families harmed by enforcement could not justify violating a sacred space during worship.

Vance, speaking in Toledo ahead of his Minnesota visit, said church occupiers had frightened "little children."

"We will send those people to jail for as long as we have the authority to do it," he said. "We will do everything we can to enforce the law."

Levy Armstrong, a longtime activist in the Twin Cities metro area, has led local protests following high-profile killings of Black Americans by police, including George Floyd, Philando Castile, and Jamar Clark. She is a former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen posted on X a photo of Levy Armstrong standing next to a uniformed officer with her arms behind her back. Nielsen said she would be prosecuted under laws that prohibit threatening or intimidating people exercising their rights.

It was not immediately clear what charges Allen would face. Justice Department officials said they were recently considering charging the protesters under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

It was unclear who Allen's attorney was. There was no immediate response to messages sent to her.

Nielsen tweeted that Kelly would be charged with "conspiracy to deprive civil rights (a federal crime) and FACE Act violations for his participation in the St. Paul church disturbance (18 U.S.C. § 248)."

The FACE Act prohibits physically obstructing, intimidating, or using threatening force to interfere with a person seeking to obtain reproductive health services or attend a religious service at a place of worship.

While the Trump administration decided against civil rights investigations into ICE officers who fatally shot Good, the aggressive prosecution of church occupiers signaled the administration's stance on obstructing law enforcement.

This week, prosecutors subpoenaed the offices of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and Ramsey and Hennepin County officials.

Vance, visiting Minnesota, said the "radical left" has decided there should be no borders in America. "If you want to reduce chaos in Minneapolis, you need to stop protesting ICE raids and accept the fact that this country needs borders. It's not that difficult," he said.

A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily suspended a ruling that barred federal agents from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit had been persuaded to temporarily halt a judge's order that prohibited retaliation against the general public, including citizens who trail government officials with their cars in Minnesota. The government is appealing.

Since the court's stay, Greg Bovino of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who has led the administration's large-city immigration enforcement operations, told reporters at a press conference Thursday that illegal immigrants accused of crimes were "back on the street in less than 24 hours."

Bovino called for better cooperation from local and state officials in Minnesota, blaming the current anti-ICE sentiment in the state on an "influx of anarchists."

"How much better can we do our jobs, and how much better can this work be for you all... the taxpayers?" Bovino asked. "The atmosphere that law enforcement is dealing with right now... is not very favorable in Minneapolis right now."

By NNP=Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com