Prominent Catholic bishop slams anti-ICE agitators who disrupted MN church service: 'Unacceptable'

Anti-ICE agitators target Sunday church service in Minnesota

Adam Schwarze, a Minnesota Senate candidate, weighs in on the tension in Minnesota during 'The Faulkner Focus' after anti-ICE agitators stormed a church.

Prominent Catholic Bishop Robert Barron is speaking out against a mob of agitators who stormed a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday to protest ICE.

Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, just southeast of St. Paul, and is the founder of "Word on Fire" Ministries, called the disruption "unacceptable."

"I don’t care what is animating or annoying you, I don’t care what your political persuasion might be, invading a church is unacceptable and is a violation of religious liberty," Barron wrote in an X post on Monday.

This comes after dozens of anti-ICE agitators disrupted a service at Cities Church, a Baptist congregation, chanting "Justice for Renee Good" and "Who needs justice, we need justice," as they stood inside the church.

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Bishop Robert Barron, head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota. (Word on Fire Ministries)

Barron addressed the widespread anti-ICE unrest in Minnesota in a separate X post on Sunday. He wrote, "As a resident of Minnesota and as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, my heart is breaking over the situation in my home state."

"Violence, retribution, threats, protests, deep suspicion of one another, political unrest, fear—all of it swirling around all the time," Barron lamented.

"May I make a modest proposal for exiting this unbearable state of affairs? The Trump Administration and ICE should limit themselves, at least for the time being, to rounding up undocumented people who have committed serious crimes. Political leaders should stop stirring up resentment against officers who are endeavoring to enforce the laws of the country. And protestors should cease interfering with the work of ICE," he suggested.

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Community members confront federal agents after an immigration raid that resulted in detentions and followed the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 13, 2026. (Tim Evans/Reuters)

"And everyone on all sides must stop shouting at one another and demonizing their opponents. Where we are now is untenable. There is a way out," Barron added.

Department of Justice officials vowed Sunday to open an investigation into the disruption, specifically probing for federal civil rights violations "by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshipers," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi added in a statement Sunday that "attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law."

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson also slammed the agitators, saying, "There is no low these radical leftists won’t stoop to."

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (L) and his wife Gwen Walz (R) look on during a vigil for Renee Good on the steps of the state capitol building on January 09, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Jackson accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of having "whipped these rioters into a frenzy and turned them loose to wreak havoc on Minneapolis." 

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"Frey and Walz should be ashamed for inciting such chaos, but the Trump Administration will continue enforcing the law," she added. 

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.