"On Thursday, the Trump administration touted the arrest of several demonstrators who recently disrupted services at a a Minnesota church, apparently to protest a pastor linked to ICE. Then, as so often happens with this administration, things took a turn for the grimly bizarre, when federal officials shared an AI-altered photo of one of the protesters that had been digitally altered to make it appear as if she was openly sobbing."
"U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi confirmed Thursday morning that she had directed FBI and Homeland Security agents to execute an arrest warrant against Nekima Levy Armstrong, writing that she was instrumental in planning the protest at Cities Church, which Bondi described as a "coordinated attack." Bondi later announced the arrests of two others, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly, in connection with the incident. According to the FBI, they are being investigated for possible violations of the FACE Act, which bars threats to houses of worship."
"The White House highlighted the arrest of Armstrong, a local civil rights attorney and former president of the NAACP's Minnesota chapter, on social media. But it did so in its typically mocking tone, posting a photo of a handcuffed Armstrong being escorted by officers that had been digitally-altered to make it appear that she was in tears. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem shared what appeared to be the original photo that showed Armstrong with a more neutral expression."
Officials arrested several demonstrators who disrupted services at a Minnesota church to protest a pastor linked to ICE. U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi directed FBI and Homeland Security to execute an arrest warrant for Nekima Levy Armstrong, describing the incident as a "coordinated attack." Bondi announced arrests of Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly; the FBI said they are being investigated for possible FACE Act violations, which bar threats to houses of worship. The White House posted a digitally altered photo that made Armstrong appear to be sobbing, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared an unaltered image. The administration confirmed the image was manipulated, and a White House spokesperson said, "Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue."
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