Federal Officials Broke Surrender Agreement in Arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong
Activists say federal officials violated an agreement that would have allowed Nekima Levy Armstrong to surrender peacefully at a Minneapolis courthouse. The arrest comes as investigations into two ICE-related killings remain without a designated lead agency.
Federal officials broke an agreement that would have allowed activist Nekima Levy Armstrong to surrender peacefully at a Minneapolis courthouse, instead arresting her at a hotel, activists said Thursday, as investigations into two recent ICE-related killings remain without a designated lead agency.
Armstrong had arranged to turn herself in after her civil rights attorney, Jordan Kusner, said U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen initially approved the plan. Kusner said federal officials later reversed course without explanation.
Under the original agreement, Armstrong would have surrendered at the U.S. Marshals Office at the federal courthouse. Kusner said Rosen agreed the plan was reasonable before later informing him that Armstrong would instead be arrested at the hotel where she was staying.
Kusner said the reversal served no legitimate law enforcement or public safety purpose and deviated from standard federal surrender procedures.
Following Armstrong’s arrest, the White House posted an AI-edited image of her on social media, drawing condemnation from activists who described the post as intimidation and political retaliation.
Journalists Arrested While Reporting
On Friday, two Black journalists covering protests tied to the case were arrested while reporting. Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were taken into custody while documenting activists calling for the resignation of David Eastergood, the St. Paul ICE Field Office director who also serves as pastor of Cities Church.
Armstrong criticized the Minneapolis press corps during a Thursday news conference, accusing some outlets of repeating Trump administration narratives.
She said journalists should stop legitimizing what she described as a dishonest and authoritarian federal response and avoid minimizing the facts surrounding arrests and killings connected to ICE operations.
Detentions and Raids Raise Due Process Concerns
Chauntyll Allen, a St. Paul School Board member, said she was detained, strip-searched, and held by federal agents despite repeatedly telling them she was not the subject of their warrant.
Allen said she asked multiple times to see a warrant. When agents eventually showed one on a phone, it displayed Armstrong’s name. Allen said agents then scrambled to produce additional paperwork bearing her name.
In a separate incident, activist William Kelly said Homeland Security Investigations agents raided his neighbor’s home with weapons drawn, despite Kelly having provided his correct address in court the previous day.
Kelly said agents mistakenly entered the wrong residence early in the morning and forcibly entered with guns, even though he had already complied with court procedures.
Phones Seized, Attorneys Threatened
Federal agents confiscated cell phones from Armstrong and Allen. Armstrong said FBI agents repeatedly attempted to gain access to the devices and that neither phone has been returned.
Kusner said Homeland Security agents later followed and stopped one of the attorneys present at the arrest scene, threatening arrest because they believed she had taken a phone.
Killings Remain Unassigned to Investigators
Activists contrasted the aggressive federal enforcement against protesters with the lack of accountability surrounding two fatal ICE-related shootings.
No law enforcement agency has publicly identified itself as leading the investigation into the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, Armstrong said, despite video evidence and eyewitnesses.
The officers involved in the killing of Alex Pretti were removed from Minnesota and have not been publicly identified, she said.
Armstrong said protesters have been jailed and shackled while officers involved in fatal shootings remain unnamed and protected, often operating while masked.
As federal enforcement actions continue, activists and legal observers say the pattern raises urgent questions about due process, press freedom, and accountability in Minnesota.
Clint Combs welcomes reader responses at combs0284@gmail.com.