Federal authorities have arrested far-left activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the organizers behind the storming of a Minnesota church during an anti-ICE protest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.
“Minutes ago at my direction, HSI and FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Bondi wrote on X.
“We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” she added.
The arrest caps days of fallout after agitators disrupted Sunday services at Cities Church in St. Paul, chanting slogans and accusing one of the church’s pastors of ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Armstrong promoted the claim in a Facebook post and helped organize the protest, which was part of a broader wave of demonstrations across the Twin Cities opposing a federal immigration enforcement surge tied to widespread fraud investigations.
Armstrong, who describes herself online as a civil rights lawyer and “scholar-activist,” previously led a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that focused on anti-poverty initiatives and took in more than $5.2 million in revenue over six years, according to tax filings.
From 2019 through 2024, Armstrong served as executive director of the Wayfinder Foundation. During that span, filings show she earned $936,395 in salary, plus an additional $201,313 in health benefits and other compensation. Over the same period, the foundation distributed about $700,052 in grants.
Minutes ago at my direction, @HSI_HQ and @FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota.
So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
We will share more updates as they…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 22, 2026
In 2024 alone, the foundation awarded $158,811 in grants, while Armstrong received a salary of $215,726, along with $40,548 in benefits and deferred compensation, according to the filing. In 2023, the group gave out $133,698 in grants as Armstrong collected $170,726 in salary and $44,300 in additional compensation. A similar pattern appeared in 2022, when she earned about $208,000 in total compensation while the organization disbursed $161,325 in grants.
The Wayfinder Foundation counted Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation as a donor. A 2023 tax filing shows a $20,000 donation “to conduct activities to educate and support Black communities.” The Walton Family Foundation, linked to the family behind Walmart, also donated heavily, contributing $2.34 million between 2018 and 2024, according to filings.
Archived pages from the nonprofit’s now-defunct website said its Community Activist Fellowship program invested in activists “to disrupt business-as-usual within systems that perpetuate oppression.”
“Where others see deficiencies, lack, and want, Wayfinder sees opportunity for little revolutions that place demands on power and change systems for the better,” Armstrong wrote in a message to donors. “We get there by investing directly in the most basic unit of change in a child’s life, their mother.”
Before the church disruption, Armstrong was already a polarizing figure, helping organize boycotts against Target over its decision to scale back diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In a September 26 post, she praised Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, who was convicted in the 1977 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, calling her “a brave, wise, powerful, and revolutionary Black woman.”
Cities Church leaders denounced the protest, saying worshippers were harassed and forced to leave during the service.
Fox News Digital reached out to Armstrong, the Wayfinder Foundation, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and Walmart for comment. None immediately responded.
The Justice Department has said the investigation into the church disruption is ongoing.
