Newsmax host says a minister shot in the head with a pepper ball by ICE is “actually an antifa member masquerading as a pastor”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

From the October 9, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Carl Higbie Frontline

CARL HIGBIE (HOST): This is interesting, a Chicago -- this is some woke pastor who's -- well, he's actually an antifa member masquerading as a pastor. He's now suing the Trump administration after being shot in the head by ICE with rubber pellets and tear gas paintballs or whatever. You tell me what's going on here. Roll this. 

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HIGBIE: So this guy is doing that. It appeared to be he was on federal property, but now he's got this whole shtick that, like, I'm a pastor. Let me tell you, I am an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. It's my name right there. I do — I officiate weddings.

This is such garbage. I got one of those collars, too, but I'm not going to go out holier than thou talking about, oh, yeah — you know, ICE is — this is so crazy to me. 

PATRICK DORINSON (GUEST): Well, let's look at a couple of things. First of all, he's not a pastor at all. He's some divinity student who kind of masquerading as a pastor. So the turned around collar doesn't mean a darn thing. Second of all, he's trying to recreate the days of the 60s in the South when white pastors would go arm-in-arm with, you know, Black civil rights leaders and they get fire hosed. The only difference was, and then they were trying to protect the rights of American citizens, Black citizens, here. Here they're trying to defend the rights of illegal immigrants. So that's another thing. The third, he's a member of the Presbyterian Church, which is the biggest bunch of progressives ever to set foot in a mainland Christian Protestant religion. So he's a big fraud, and he's trying to get, you know, attention out there. And by the way, if he really thought that he was going to do something, he'd obey the law as Jesus obeyed the law. Because remember when Jesus, they tried to trick him and say, you know, should we pay taxes to the Romans? He said, well, you got to pay taxes. You got to obey the Roman law, render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, but to God which is God's.

The Independent reported about the lawsuit:

A Presbyterian minister in Chicago is suing Donald Trump’s administration after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were captured in viral video firing pepper balls at his head during protests against the president’s anti-immigration agenda.

The Rev. David Black joined a lawsuit with Chicago reporters and protesters accusing the administration of unconstitutional threats to their First Amendment rights and religious freedoms with “a pattern of extreme brutality” designed to “silence the press and civilians.”

Last month, Black — dressed in black and wearing a clerical collar while standing with demonstrators — was hit with chemical agents while praying in front of an ICE facility in Broadview, a Chicago suburb that has emerged as a flashpoint for protests against the administration as the president deploys National Guard troops to Illinois.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black told Religion News Service. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

Black is not alone, according to the lawsuit. Agents “dressed in full combat gear” have “indiscriminately” tossed flash grenades and tear gas and fired guns loaded with chemical irritants and rubber bullets against demonstrators in the Chicago area, the complaint says.