January 27, 2026 The White House acknowledged Thursday that it altered and shared an image of a Minnesota protester to make her appear as if she were crying. A senior White House official confirmed to NBC News that the image, posted on social media, had been modified.
The original photograph was shared earlier by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, showing civil rights activist Nekima Levy Armstrong looking ahead calmly as she was taken into custody in St. Paul. The edited version, circulated afterward, altered her expression to suggest visible distress.
The official described the altered image as a “meme” and pointed to a post by White House deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr, who wrote on X: “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.” Administration officials have increasingly used memes and AI-generated images across government accounts during President Donald Trump’s second term to advance messaging around law enforcement and immigration.
Levy Armstrong was arrested alongside Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly following a protest that interrupted a church service last Sunday in St. Paul. Demonstrators said they were calling for the resignation of pastor David Easterwood, alleging he has ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Organizers described the action as a peaceful protest.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that Levy Armstrong would be charged under a federal law that bars physical obstruction of houses of worship. Her attorney, Jordan Kushner, disputed that characterization.
“She was arrested for doing a peaceful nonviolent protest in a church,” Kushner told NBC News. According to him, demonstrators “were engaged in an exercise of free speech.”
The incident comes amid escalating tensions in Minnesota, where protests have surged in recent weeks following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer. The unrest has prompted the Trump administration to deploy additional federal personnel to the state since late last year, citing allegations of fraud at Somali-run day care centers.
President Trump has also floated invoking the Insurrection Act, a rarely used authority that could allow the deployment of troops in response to domestic unrest. During a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance struck a hard line on the protests.
“If you go and storm a church, if you go and assault a former law enforcement officer, we’re going to try very hard, we’re going to use every resource of the federal government to put you in prison,” Vance said.
