A Minnesota activist, attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, has released a video of her arrest following a protest against immigration enforcement at a church. This action comes after the White House posted a manipulated image on its social media account, depicting her in a misleading light. The image, shared on March 14, 2024, showed Levy Armstrong appearing emotional while being escorted by an unidentified individual in uniform.
The White House captioned the image with a bold statement, labelling Levy Armstrong as a “far-left agitator” responsible for “orchestrating church riots” in Minnesota. In a related post, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the same photo, which showed Levy Armstrong with a neutral expression, raising concerns about the portrayal of her arrest.
Levy Armstrong, along with at least two others, was arrested during a protest disrupting a service at a church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as pastor. She, alongside Chauntyll Allen, a member of the St. Paul school board, was released the day after their arrest, as confirmed by Levy Armstrong’s organization, the Racial Justice Network.
The video, recorded by Levy Armstrong’s husband, Marques Armstrong, captures the tense moments leading to her arrest. Throughout the more than seven-minute footage, Levy Armstrong requested to be treated with “dignity and respect.” As federal agents closed in, one agent informed her, “We have to put you in handcuffs.” Levy Armstrong questioned why an agent was recording the encounter, to which the agent responded, “It’s not going to be on Twitter.”
In the video, Levy Armstrong expressed her belief that her arrest represented “a significant abuse of power,” emphasizing her refusal to remain silent against what she described as brutality from ICE. She stated, “You know that this is a significant abuse of power because I refuse to be silent in the face of brutality from ICE.”
After her release, Levy Armstrong recorded an audio message, which was subsequently shared with the Associated Press. In it, she claimed the Trump administration had used artificial intelligence to manipulate images of her arrest, asserting, “We are being politically persecuted for speaking out against authoritarianism, fascism, and the tyranny of the Trump administration.”
As of now, the Department of Homeland Security has not provided a response to the allegations made by Levy Armstrong. The incident has sparked discussions about the role of social media in shaping public narratives, particularly in politically charged situations.
This event underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policies and protests in the United States, highlighting the complexities of activism and the implications of governmental portrayal in the digital age.