As It Happens6:47Civil rights lawyer says Trump officials doctored her photo because they couldn’t break her spirit
When Minnesota civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong learned the White House had posted an altered photo of her appearing to sob during her arrest, she could barely believe it.
In reality, Levy Armstrong remained outwardly calm when she was arrested for protesting at a Minnesota church last month, refusing to give her detractors the satisfaction of seeing her upset.
But when the White House announced her arrest on X, it included a photo that was manipulated using AI to show her face darkened and contorted in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I thought, am I that much of a threat to the world’s greatest superpower?” Levy Armstrong told As It Happens host Nil Köksal
“They couldn’t break me. And so they altered an image showing me broken.”
Neither the White House nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded to CBC’s request for comment. But White House deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr defended the image on X, writing: “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.”
‘The closest to slavery I’ve ever felt’
Levy Armstrong was arrested on Jan. 22 in connection to a Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., which employs a pastor who doubles as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.
She is among nine people, including two journalists, who were indicted Friday on charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.
Despite her calm demeanour in custody, Levy Armstrong described the entire experience as degrading and dehumanizing.
She says U.S. marshals slapped three pairs of shackles on her and her fellow protesters to transport them from the federal courthouse to the county jail — one around their wrists, one around their waists and one around their stomachs.
“I remember thinking, you know, this is the closest to slavery I’ve ever felt,” she said.
“Even though I felt the way that I described, I still remained stoic, calm and focused and just centred my own humanity, even if they didn’t. That was important for me to do in the spirit of my ancestors.”
ICE official who doubles as a pastor
Over the last few months, ICE has maintained a massive presence in Minnesota, where they have met strong resistance from well-organized protesters and residents who have been working to protect their neighbours from getting swept up in immigration raids.
Since the federal government deployed ICE to Minneapolis in December — against the wishes of elected state and municipal lawmakers — agents have killed two residents, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse.
Levi Armstrong says that’s why she and others went to the church where David Easterwood, head of ICE’s St. Paul field office, works as a pastor, and chanted Good’s name.
“They have been physically brutalizing people, dragging people from their homes, kicking down people’s doors, coming into people’s homes with big guns, arresting people unjustly, even U.S. citizens, and people who are here legally,” Levy Armstrong said.
“To have someone serving as a pastor who is also overseeing these agents is unconscionable, unacceptable, and antithetical to the Christian faith.”
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were also arrested while covering the protest, sparking outcry from press freedom associations and media unions.
Church, Trump administration stand by arrests
Levy Armstrong says the protest was peaceful, and that she and the others sat quietly and listened to the church services before standing to voice their concerns about ICE.
In a Facebook post, the church painted a different picture, accusing the demonstrators of accosting the congregation and creating “a scene marked by intimidation and threat.”
Church leaders and members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration have praised the arrests, accusing protesters of infringing on the rights of worshippers.
“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem singled out Levy Armstrong in particular.
“Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States,” she wrote on X. “There is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion.”
Levy Armstrong noted that Trump’s administration made churches unsafe in January 2025, when it revoked a longstanding policy preventing immigration raids inside places of worship.
“If Kristi Noem is concerned about someone being obstructed from practising their religion, then she needs to hold herself, Donald Trump and the Department of Justice accountable,” she said.
In court filings, Levy Armstrong’s lawyer cited the doctored photo as evidence that the Trump administration had filed charges against her vindictively for her role in Minnesota’s protest movement.
Trump, Levy Armstrong noted, has a history of using the Department of Justice to punish his detractors, launching investigations, for example, against ex-FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“This is no different. I’m hoping that the judge that oversees the case will see that and will understand that and will ensure that I receive the justice that I deserve,” Levy Armstrong said.
“These charges should be dropped, not only against me, but against the other eight defendants in this case.”