Minneapolis ICE shooting live updates: DOJ appealing order restricting ICE response

Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top administration officials said that the Justice Department is investigating an apparent disruption that occurred at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday as a potential violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

In addition to protecting clinic entrances, the FACE Act also bars interfering with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.

The disruptive incident occurred at the Cities Church in St. Paul and was captured by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who posted it to his YouTube page.

"I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted," Bondi said in a post on social media. "Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law."

Protesters accused one of the church's pastors of leading the ICE field office in St. Paul and spoke out against ICE tactics during the protest.

St. Paul Police said officers responded to Cities Church following reports of "approximately 30 to 40 protesters who interrupted church services." The protesters had moved outside the church by the time police arrived and officers "continued to monitor the protest," the department said.

Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in an earlier post, "The @CivilRights is investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers."

"A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice!" Dhillon said in another social media post in an apparent reference to Lemon.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted as well, stating, "President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship. The Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the despicable incident that took place earlier today at a church in Minnesota."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put the blame on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, saying on social media that they "are responsible for whipping these mobs into a frenzy and then allowing them to run rampant."

On Monday, a spokesperson for Walz said in a statement that the governor "has repeatedly and unequivocally urged protesters to do so peacefully. While people have a right to speak out, he in no way supports interrupting a place of worship."

Walz said in an address last week, "We can, we must, protest loudly, forcefully, but also peacefully." Frey, last week, also encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, stating, "We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos."

-ABC News' Jack Date

President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for opposing the ongoing ICE actions there, accusing them of doing it to distract from alleged fraud in the state.

"ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring [sic] them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this?" Trump asked in his social media post, referring to the people being detained as "murderers" and "drug dealers," and the protesters as "thugs" that "include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists."

"Is this really what Minnesota wants?" Trump continued. He then referenced the governor and Ilhan, accusing them, without evidence, of trying to keep "the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State."

"Don't worry, we're on it!" he added.

The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing $10 billion in federal funds in five Democrat-run states over allegations of fraudulent child-care programming, an HHS official confirmed to ABC News earlier this month. The HHS official confirmed that the five states are California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. It's unclear if this is the alleged fraud to which Trump referred in his post Sunday.

The post comes as Trump has repeatedly threatened to use the Insurrection Act to send military personnel into Minnesota, though he appeared to back off those threats in recent days, telling reporters Friday: "I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I'd use it."

Neither Walz nor Omar immediately replied to Trump's Sunday social media post. However, Walz posted on Thursday what he called a "direct appeal to the President," saying in part, "Let's turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are."

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Two battalions from the 11th Airborne Division have been put on alert for a potential deployment to Minnesota, according to two defense officials.

One official said the president has not made a final decision whether to deploy the battalions. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are taking prudent steps to prepare active-duty Army forces," the official said. "This doesn't mean they will deploy; we are preparing options."

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send in the U.S. military as tensions intensified in Minneapolis following a second shooting involving a federal officer during immigration operations. However, Trump later told reporters he didn't think there was "any reason right now to use it."

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Steve Beynon

The Minnesota Guard has been mobilized and is on standby to support law enforcement ahead of protests expected to unfold in Minneapolis over the weekend, officials said.

Right now, troops are on standby at their bases and not on the streets. They were in a similar posture last week.

At a news briefing on Friday, Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, the commander of the Minnesota Guard, described the deployment's purpose as "to protect life and property."

It's unclear how many troops are mobilized. Walz's office declined to comment. The Minnesota Guard did not respond to a request for comment.

"I don't know if you'll see National Guard in the neighborhoods or not," Manke said at the briefing. "It's going to depend on what the needs are."

Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to be "staged and ready to support" law enforcement if needed.

-ABC News' Steve Beynon