Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on Newsmax on Saturday that federal and state leaders need to "climb down a rung or two" and find compromise as protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement intensify in Minnesota, arguing that "other cities have made accommodations with the president" while his state is "dysfunctional at the moment."
"The protesters are a mix of people," Pawlenty said Saturday on "Wake Up America Weekend." He said some "don't want ICE at all," while others "sincerely believe ICE has used excessive tactics" and are protesting from that standpoint.
Pawlenty said he sees a breakdown in basic intergovernmental communication at the top. "What would normally happen in these circumstances is they'd find some compromise," he said, but "the tensions between Governor [Tim] Walz and President [Donald] Trump are so escalated that they don't even speak to each other."
"Other cities have made accommodations with the president, have found compromise, have worked this out," Pawlenty said. "But unfortunately, in my state, it's dysfunctional at the moment."
The comments followed a protest that interrupted a Sunday church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, prompting federal scrutiny.
The Justice Department said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon's Civil Rights Division was investigating what it described as potential federal civil rights violations tied to protesters "desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers," according to PBS NewsHour reporting on Dhillon's announcement.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that "Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law."
Bondi also announced arrests connected to the church protest, naming Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly.
Separately, a federal magistrate judge rejected a criminal complaint sought against journalist Don Lemon in connection with the incident.
Pawlenty, citing what he called illegal conduct, said, "When you burst into a church and storm a church service under the guise of protest that violates federal law," adding, "it's an example of the protesters going way, way out of bounds."
"And this is something I think most Americans could agree on," he said.
"You don't get to break things, you know, burst into churches. You don't get to hurt law enforcement officers. Yes, peacefully protest. If you want to stay at a distance, don't obstruct law enforcement, but you don't get to hurt people, break things, disrupt religious services and otherwise cause other people disruption."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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