Pastor at ICE Office Embroiled in Protest: Is He Too Deeply Embedded?
A US pastor who leads a church in St Paul is under fire after dozens of protesters disrupted a service, claiming he also holds a high-ranking position at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office overseeing operations in Minnesota. The protests came amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in the state.
David Easterwood, one of the eight pastors at Cities Church, was accused by protesters of being the acting director of the ICE St Paul field office, overseeing operations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. While Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed by protest organizers, it is unclear if he attended the church on Sunday.
The protests were sparked by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Another incident involving an ICE agent left Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis injured during an attempted arrest.
The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention said that protesters had "interrupted the service to demand the congregation denounce the federal government's immigration enforcement, specifically targeting the role of Pastor David Easterwood as a field office director for ICE." The church has condemned the protest and expressed concern about the safety of its members.
A US pastor who leads a church in St Paul is under fire after dozens of protesters disrupted a service, claiming he also holds a high-ranking position at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office overseeing operations in Minnesota. The protests came amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in the state.
David Easterwood, one of the eight pastors at Cities Church, was accused by protesters of being the acting director of the ICE St Paul field office, overseeing operations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. While Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed by protest organizers, it is unclear if he attended the church on Sunday.
The protests were sparked by the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. Another incident involving an ICE agent left Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis injured during an attempted arrest.
The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention said that protesters had "interrupted the service to demand the congregation denounce the federal government's immigration enforcement, specifically targeting the role of Pastor David Easterwood as a field office director for ICE." The church has condemned the protest and expressed concern about the safety of its members.
i feel so bad for pastor easterwood he got caught in the middle of all this drama... and 50+ protesters disrupting a service? that's crazy 
can't we just talk things through? it sounds like they're really upset about these immigration incidents, but protesting a church service is not the way to do it... i hope the pastor and his congregation are okay 
what's next gonna be him performing baptisms in detention centers? anyway, can't say i'm surprised protests are getting heated over immigration issues... seems like everyone's got an opinion on it these days 
. So, there's a pastor at an ICE office who's leading a service, and people are protesting because they think he's in charge of the whole thing? That seems like a pretty big jump to me 
. I mean, I get why people are upset about the immigration issues, but it's not fair to target one person for the actions of the government.
. The church is saying they condemn the protest and their pastor's involvement in ICE? That suggests he might not be as embedded as everyone thinks 
. But I guess only time (and some fact-checking 
) will tell for sure!
. A pastor leading a service gets caught up in the heat of protesters demanding action on immigration, but is it fair to just assume he's involved with ICE too? 
The problem is complex and multifaceted – why can't we just try to have some calm, rational conversations about it instead of resorting to protests and accusations? 
. I mean, this Pastor David Easterwood guy is being accused of being involved with ICE on top of leading a church service? It just seems fishy. And now his own church is condemning the protest against him? That's like putting on a show to say we care about our people... but not really 
.
What's next, are you gonna start collecting a paycheck from both sides of the fence? 
It's just not adding up, dude!
what's even more wild is that he wasn't even involved in the part of the service they livestreamed lol like, are we really gonna scrutinize someone for being part of a bigger org without knowing all the deets?