Recently, ICE supporters have expressed outrage after protesters entered a church, with the administration even arresting some of the organizers. Now, many online are calling those critics hypocrites after a similar incident unfolded in Minnesota and sparked widespread backlash.
Hundreds of people gathered there for an anti-ICE protest, including members of the clergy. While several clergy members knelt on the ground in prayer, police moved in and began interrupting the prayer to arrest them. Protesters who were not praying shouted, “Let them pray,” in an attempt to stop the arrests.
Despite the pleas, police continued detaining the clergy members, drawing sharp criticism from onlookers. For many, the incident raised serious questions about selective outrage and the treatment of religious expression during protests.
Another TikTok video showed officers approaching protesters, pulling them up off the ground while they were still praying, and then arresting them. For many watching, it raised a troubling question: Is praying now seen as an offense?
A third video highlighted just how large the group was, showing a long line of clergy kneeling in prayer. According to the footage, they were praying for the children and workers taken by ICE. The gathering was part of a broader anti-ICE protest taking place at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.
In a separate post, the original poster described what unfolded there. “Over 100 clergy and faith leaders were arrested at MSP Airport as they gathered in peaceful, prayerful resistance to demand airlines, especially Delta and Signature Aviation, cease contracting deportation flights,” they wrote.
For many people online, the images were hard to process. Watching clergy members be arrested while peacefully praying left viewers questioning how any officer could justify detaining people whose only action was kneeling in prayer.
People Reacting to Police Arresting the Clergy in Minnesota
Unsurprisingly, most people who saw the video were outraged that Minnesota police arrested clergy members, especially while they were in the middle of prayer. For many, that detail made the situation even more disturbing.
One person questioned how MAGA supporters would react, given their previous outrage over a church protest. “I wonder how MAGATS will spin this story. If clergy members PRAYING isn’t peaceful, then idk what is. Sad reality is this will be spun, and the cultists will stand behind these people’s arrest,” they wrote.
Another commenter mocked what they believed the response would be, writing, “They’re praying for our demise‼ Lock up these dangerous prayer warriors!”
Others focused on what they saw as blatant hypocrisy. “Rules for thee, not for me. Without hypocrisy, they would have no policies,” one person commented.
For many viewers, the arrests only reinforced their belief that outrage over protests is applied selectively, depending on who is involved and what message is being challenged.
Others focused less on the arrests and more on the unity and moral clarity shown by the clergy in Minnesota. One person commented, “I’m not even religious, but it’s honestly comforting to hear the clergyman in front steadfastly saying his prayer in the middle of all of this.” Another praised the moment as genuine leadership, writing, “These clergypeople are demonstrating true moral leadership, a stark contrast to the Orange Jesus and the members of his cult.”
That comment sparked further discussion. Someone replied, “Or the so-called ‘pastor’ at Cities ‘church’ that the phony Christians are pretending to be outraged about.” Another person shifted the focus to the broader political climate, saying, “This is the most anti-Christian administration in U.S. history.”
For many watching, moments like these felt deeply unsettling. Regardless of personal beliefs, people agreed that scenes of clergy being arrested while peacefully praying should never happen.
