The Trump White House on Wednesday shared a digitally altered image of Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minnesota civil rights attorney who was arrested after taking part in a protest inside a church where a pastor is alleged to also be a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.
Earlier that morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted what appears to be the original photograph showing Levy Armstrong being escorted by a law enforcement officer. Roughly 30 minutes later, the official White House X account uploaded a modified version of the image in which Levy Armstrong’s face appeared altered to make her look as though she was crying.
“The White House shared an AI-edited photo of Nekima, depicting her in tears and scared when, in actuality, she was poised, determined, and unafraid,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said yesterday.
Additional context later appended to the post on X stated, “This photo has been digitally altered to make Nekima Levy Armstrong appear to be in distress. The Director of DHS herself posted the unedited photo in an earlier announcement.” Despite criticism, White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr defended the decision to share the altered image.
“Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Dorr wrote. The White House post referred to Levy Armstrong as a “far-left agitator” who “orchestrated[ed] church riots in Minnesota.”
A Department of Homeland Security press release announcing the arrest used the unaltered image originally posted by Noem.
Jordan Kushner, an attorney representing Levy Armstrong, strongly disputed the White House’s portrayal. “It is just so outrageous that the White House would make up stories about someone to try and discredit them. She was completely calm and composed and rational. There was no one crying. So this is just outrageous defamation,” Kushner said.
In comments to The Associated Press, Kushner also said that the “video Levy Armstrong’s husband shot ‘dismantles what they claim’ and that the video would be released soon.”
The arrest followed a protest on Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators interrupted services while chanting “ICE OUT” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The St. Paul Pioneer Press quoted Levy Armstrong as saying, “When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents is almost unfathomable to me.”
The church’s website lists David Easterwood as one of its pastors. Protesters identified him as the same David Easterwood named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison against Noem and other federal officials. In that case, Easterwood is listed “in his official capacity as Acting Director, Saint Paul Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Levy Armstrong, who previously served as president of the NAACP’s Minneapolis branch, was arrested Wednesday morning. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest on social media, writing, “WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.” Bondi alleged that Levy Armstrong “played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Noem later stated that Levy Armstrong “is being charged with a federal crime under 18 USC 241,” a statute that prohibits “conspir[ing] to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
“Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States—there is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion,” Noem wrote.
St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Allen was also arrested. Attorneys for the Cities Church issued statements supporting the arrests and saying they “are exploring all legal options to protect the church and prevent further invasions.”
A federal magistrate judge initially ruled that Levy Armstrong and Allen could be released, but they were still being held last night after the government “made a motion to stay the release for further review, claiming they might be flight risks,” the Pioneer Press wrote.
Kushner called the arrests a “farce” and alleged that Bondi and Noem ordered the arrests only so they could celebrate them on social media, according to the Pioneer Press. “This doesn’t happen in a legitimate prosecution,” Kushner said. “These are officials making a political decision, and purposely making a political spectacle and a political circus out of the court system for their own purposes.”
Kushner also “said federal agents detained one of Armstrong’s friends two days [previously], using force to tackle her in a hotel lobby, under the mistaken impression she was Armstrong,” the Pioneer Press wrote.
Marques Armstrong, Levy Armstrong’s husband, said she offered to turn herself in after the mistaken detention of her friend.
“Initially they agreed and then a call came from up high and said, ‘No, we have to take her there (at the hotel).’ They wanted her in handcuffs,” he was quoted as saying. An “agent took photos and said it won’t go on social media. I knew it was a lie,” he also said.
The White House’s posting of a manipulated version of the arrest photo could be used in Levy Armstrong’s legal defense. As the New York Times wrote, her lawyer could argue that the post was an improper extrajudicial statement that may prejudice potential jurors and that it shows the Justice Department filed charges vindictively. We contacted Kushner about the manipulated photo and case today and will update this article if he provides any comment.
The NAACP called for the release of Levy Armstrong, Allen, and a third arrestee, William Kelly. “Their arrests violated their constitutional rights and NAACP demands their immediate release,” the NAACP said. “Ms. Armstrong and her fellow demonstrators gathered peacefully at a church over the pastor’s alleged leadership within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protests follow the increase in ICE activity and the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good.”
The Justice Department also tried to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon, but a judge rejected the charges. Lemon was at the demonstration but said he was there as a journalist and not a protester.
