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Justice Department could ‘go hard’ after anti-ICE protesters who disrupted Minnesota church, expert says
By Taylor Penley
Published January 20, 2026
Anti-ICE agitators may have handed the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division an opportunity to make an example of those who interfere with religious worship, Fox News legal editor Kerri Urbahn told "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday.
"This is a perfect situation for them [the DOJ], honestly, to really show the country what will happen if you interfere in people's fundamental rights to worship and exercise their faith, and I think they're going to do just that," Urbahn said.
Urbahn's remarks come as the DOJ probes possible charges against the agitators who disrupted services at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, examining whether they violated the congregation’s civil rights.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stands in front of a Justice Department logo in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
She told co-anchors Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino that multiple legal avenues are available to pursue, including disorderly conduct and trespassing.
"There are laws on the books that expressly prohibit this kind of behavior within churches. There are also laws that prohibit conspiracy to interfere in someone's constitutional right. Those laws are generally pretty broad, and there are a number of them," she explained.
The seal of the Department of Justice on April 18, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"There are also other laws that prohibit interfering in the exercise of religion, so the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice has a lot to choose from, and I think they're going to go at this pretty hard."
Urbahn predicted that while the state may focus on a disorderly conduct violation, civil rights violations will be the "meat" of the Justice Department’s investigation.
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"I think they're in big trouble," she said of the protesters. "I really feel like they crossed a line that just can't be crossed and shouldn't be crossed."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/justice-department-could-go-hard-after-anti-ice-protesters-who-disrupted-minnesota-church-expert-says