US President Donald Trump's administration has expanded the prosecution of protesters involved in a church demonstration to 39 people, up from nine.
The rally was part of a reaction to Trump's deadly immigration surge in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, but officials have sought to frame the protest as an attack on religious freedom.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the expanded indictment Friday in a message posted on social media.
“Today, [the Justice Department] “An indictment has been unsealed charging 30 additional people who participated in the attack on the Cities Church in Minnesota,” Bondi wrote. “Under my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day.”
He added a warning to other protesters who might try to disrupt a religious service.
“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP,” Bondi said. “If you do, you will not be able to hide from us: we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice DEFENDS Christians and all Americans of faith.”
Appealing to Christian voters
Since taking office for a second term, Trump has sought to appeal to Christian conservatives by launching initiatives, for example, to eradicate anti-Christian prejudice and prevent alleged acts of Christian persecution, both domestically and in countries such as Nigeria.
But critics have accused his administration of trying to stifle opposition by prosecuting Minnesota protest attendees.
Some of the accused deny even taking part in the January 18 protest. Defendants such as former CNN anchor Don Lemon and reporter Georgia Fort say they attended in their capacity as journalists.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have publicly questioned whether their prosecution is an attempt to restrict press freedom.
The superseding indictment, filed Thursday, imposes two counts against the 39 defendants, accusing them of conspiracy against the right to religious freedom and efforts to harm, intimidate or interfere with the exercise of religious freedom.
“While inside the Church, the defendants collectively oppressed, threatened, and intimidated parishioners and pastors of the Church by physically occupying the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the church,” the indictment says.
It also describes protesters as “engaging in menacing and menacing behavior” by “singing and shouting loudly” and blocking exits.
On Jan. 22, a judge initially rejected the Justice Department's attempt to charge nine attendees who were at the protest.
But the department instead requested a grand jury indictment, which was filed on Jan. 29 and made public the next day.
A reaction to Trump's immigration increase
The protest, called “Operation Pullup,” was conceived as a response to the violent immigration crackdown that had unfolded in Minnesota.
Many of the law enforcement efforts were focused on the metropolitan area that includes the Twin Cities: St Paul and Minneapolis.
Trump had repeatedly blamed the area's large Somali American population for a welfare fraud scandal involving government funds for programs such as Medicaid and school lunches.
In December, the Trump administration sent federal immigration agents to the region, dubbing the effort Operation Metro Surge. At its peak, up to 3,000 officers were in the Minneapolis-St Paul area.
But the effort was plagued by reports of excessive violence toward detainees and protesters alike. Videos circulated of officers smashing legal observers' car windows, pepper spraying protesters, and punching people.
Officers also engaged in the practice of forcibly entering homes without a warrant, which advocates described as a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Cases of illegal detentions were also reported.
But a turning point came on January 7, when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was caught on camera shooting at the vehicle of 37-year-old mother Renee Good. He died and his murder sparked protests across the country.
Operation Pullup took place at Cities Church in St Paul less than two weeks later.
It was intended to be a demonstration against the church's pastor, David Easterwood, who serves as a local ICE official.
Several protesters have indicated they are prepared to fight government charges over the incident, citing their First Amendment rights to free speech.
Some also said they intended to remain vigilant in the government's immigration operations, even after Trump administration officials announced that Operation Metro Surge was ending in mid-February.
“This is not the time to be Minnesota Nice,” one protester, civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, wrote on social media last week. “It is time for truth, justice and freedom to prevail.”
