MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Cities Church Defendants File Broad Challenge Seeking Dismissal of Federal Charges

Lawyers for defendants charged after January's anti-ICE protest have filed dozens of motions attacking the government's prosecution on constitutional and procedural grounds.

SAINT PAUL, MN (September 2, 2026) The federal prosecution arising from January's anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in Saint Paul has entered a new phase, with defendants filing dozens of motions challenging the charges and seeking dismissal.

Thirty-eight people were charged in connection with the January 18 demonstration.

The latest court filings include motions seeking dismissal of charges against all defendants as well as separate efforts to suppress evidence and challenge searches and seizures.

Defense attorneys have argued, among other things, that the federal government selectively or vindictively prosecuted demonstrators and journalists and that some charges violate constitutional protections.

Several defendants who were working as journalists have separately argued that their presence at the protest was part of newsgathering rather than participation in criminal conduct.

The Justice Department has defended its prosecution of the case.

The filings do not mean the charges have been dismissed. They ask the federal court to decide whether the prosecution, individual counts or certain evidence can proceed.

The latest motions are a material development in a case MinneapoliMedia has previously covered, including litigation surrounding the grand-jury process.

The court will now have to consider the defendants' arguments before the case moves toward trial.

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