Minnesota churches roiled by legal battle over ICE surveillance and right to protest

People walk by a sign outside University Baptist Church in Minneapolis on, Sept. 4, 2026. Photo by Ellen Schmidt/AP

MINNEAPOLIS — Court cases involving Twin Cities churches and immigration enforcement highlight how the acrimonious debate continues to roil faith communities more than six months since the federal surge turned Minnesota into a symbol of defiance of the Trump administration's policies.

In one case, a Minneapolis Baptist church — alongside congregations nationwide — asked for the government to be reprimanded after spying on protest-related activity on its property. In another, more than three dozen protesters have asked for their charges to be dismissed after they disrupted a worship service in a St. Paul church where one of the pastors was also a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.

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