Did ICE arrest 104 clergy men just for praying

1. What happened at MSP: mass faith‑leader civil disobedience, then arrests

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at MSP as part of a coordinated “ICE Out” day of action; in one dramatic action, faith leaders knelt, sang hymns and prayed in a roadway outside the main terminal and then ignored orders to clear the road — actions that local and airport authorities say violated the terms of the protest permit and disrupted airline operations, prompting officers to arrest scores of clergy ^{[2] [1] [4]}.

2. Who made the arrests: local police, not ICE

Multiple outlets report the arrests were executed by airport police and local law enforcement; organizers and news organizations consistently attribute the detentions to members of airport and Bloomington police rather than to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — Reuters, CBS and DW all say local police arrested dozens and that organizers claimed about 100 clergy were detained ^{[2] [3] [1]}.

3. How many were arrested — numbers, reporting differences and limits

Reporting converges around “about 100” or “roughly 100” clergy arrested but not a precise tally of 104; organizers and several outlets used approximations (“around 100,” “over 100,” “roughly 100”) while news crews observed dozens being taken away, so the specific figure 104 is not corroborated in the sources provided ^{[5] [6] [2] [7]}. No reporting in the supplied set provides an exact count of 104, and authorities described the arrests as misdemeanor citations for trespass/failure to comply before release ^{[7] [1]}.

4. Were they arrested “just for praying”? — competing framings

Organizers, faith leaders and footage emphasize the prayerful nature of the action — kneeling, singing hymns and offering prayers for people detained by ICE — and many participants say they deliberately accepted arrest as civil disobedience to spotlight deportation flights and airline contracts with ICE ^{[3] [8] [9]}. Authorities frame the same conduct as an unlawful disruption of airport operations and permit overreach; airport spokespeople and press coverage say the arrests occurred after protesters exceeded the permit terms and obstructed airline activities ^{[1] [4]}. Both accounts are documented in the reporting.

5. Context and motives: why clergy were on the line

Organizers called on Delta and Signature Aviation to stop facilitating deportation flights and framed the arrests as moral witness against a federal enforcement surge in Minnesota; the action was part of a broader economic blackout and mass mobilization that included thousands marching in extremely cold weather and multiple demonstrations across the Twin Cities ^{[9] [4] [2]}. The political backdrop — a Trump administration surge of federal immigration agents sent to Minnesota — is cited across reports as a motivating factor for the protests ^{[6] [2]}.

6. What the sources do and do not show — caveats for the record

Reporting consistently documents arrests of “about 100” clergy and shows local police making the detentions, but none of the provided sources substantiates the precise figure “104” or that ICE personnel performed these arrests; video and eyewitness accounts show clergy being zip‑tied and bused but also show organizers openly preparing participants to be arrested as an act of civil disobedience ^{[6] [2] [8]}. If the question seeks a narrow technical truth — “Did ICE arrest 104 clergy men just for praying?” — the supplied reporting answers: no evidence that ICE made the arrests, no clear corroboration of exactly 104 arrested, and the arrests were tied to alleged permit violations and obstruction of airport operations rather than to a criminal prosecution purely for prayer ^{[1] [7] [2]}.