Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was taken into custody on Friday after federal agents linked him to a chaotic anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church that he livestreamed earlier this month. The dramatic arrest, executed in Los Angeles while Lemon was covering the Grammy Awards, has thrust the long-running clash over journalism and activism into the national spotlight.
Protest Livestream Leads to Federal Charges
Authorities say Lemon followed and filmed a group of anti-ICE activists who stormed St. Paul’s Cities Church, believing the pastor had cooperated with immigration officials. At the time, Lemon told viewers that “the freedom to protest” represented the core of the First Amendment. Federal prosecutors, however, view the event very differently.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced on X, “At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
A Homeland Security spokesperson added, “Don Lemon is being charged with 18 USC 241, Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, and 18 USC 248, Violation of the FACE Act, interfering by force of someone’s First Amendment rights.”
Lemon is expected to make his first court appearance Friday.
Lemon’s Attorney: “This Is Journalism, Not Crime”
Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell strongly rejected the accusations.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”
Lowell continued, “Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case. This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
A federal magistrate judge previously dismissed the DOJ’s first attempt to charge Lemon.
Inside the Chaotic Church Invasion
The protest that prompted Lemon’s arrest turned into a volatile confrontation. One of the key organizers, Nekima Levy Armstrong, was also taken into custody. Bondi doubled down afterward, writing, “Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.”
Lemon, meanwhile, has been openly defiant.
“I stand proud, and I stand tall,” he said on his show last week. “This is not a victory lap for me, because it’s not over. They’re going to try again, and they’re going to try again. And guess what? Here I am. Keep trying.”
He added, “That’s not going to stop me from being a journalist. You’re not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead. Make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel if you want. Just do it! Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Lemon Says He Didn’t Plan The Protest
Lemon has repeatedly denied any ties to the protest group. According to him, he was simply following a developing story. But his own livestream shows he had some advance notice.
“We don’t know what’s happening. We kind of do, but we don’t know how it’s going to play out … we’ll get to see what happens after this, sort of surprise,” he told viewers while riding with the group.
“We just found out about this this morning,” he continued. “I’m just trying to figure out if it’s best for me to go inside so I can tell what happened.”
Once outside the church, Lemon told his team that he would “go inside and give the rundown on what’s going on,” but instructed them not to step onto church property. Moments later, he walked inside.
Inside, his audio captured shouting as protesters entered. Lemon’s cameraman eventually followed, livestreaming the confrontation as churchgoers attempted to evacuate.
At one point, Lemon told a church member, “I’m a journalist.”
He later described the activists’ actions as a “clandestine mission.”
“You have to be willing to go into places and disrupt and make people uncomfortable. That’s what this country is about,” he said.
Federal Affidavit: Families Were Terrified
According to a federal affidavit, parents attempted to reach their children in a downstairs childcare area but were blocked by activists. One churchgoer said they feared agitators might have guns concealed under their jackets, and with aisles blocked, they worried they couldn’t leave safely.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said Lemon’s actions may have legal consequences.
“Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility. He went into the facility, and then he began ‘committing journalism,’ as if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy,” she said. “It isn’t and so we’re getting our ducks in a row, putting the facts together, and this is a very serious matter.”
Lemon: “I Stand By My Reporting”
Lemon told he stands by his reporting and said he has faced significant online harassment.
“It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling. What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press,” Lemon said.
“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good — the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place. I stand by my reporting.”
Press Freedom Groups Condemn The Arrest
The Freedom of the Press Foundation blasted the DOJ’s actions.
“Two federal courts flatly rejected prosecuting Lemon because the evidence for these vindictive and unconstitutional charges was insufficient, and Lemon has every right to document news and inform the public. Instead of accepting that humiliating defeat, the government has now doubled down,” said Seth Stern.
“The unmistakable message is that journalists must tread cautiously because the government is looking for any way to target them,” he added. “The answer to this outrageous attack is not fear or self-censorship. It’s an even stronger commitment to journalism, the truth, and the First Amendment.”
Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her echoed those concerns, calling the arrest “deeply chilling.”
“The arrest today of journalists for covering a protest is deeply chilling,” she wrote. “We need to all be hyper vigilant and call out the way this administration has eroded our First Amendment and other Constitutional rights—because if we let this go unanswered, it won’t stop here.”
Another Journalist Also Arrested
Independent Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested and is facing similar allegations. DOJ officials previously suggested that those involved may have violated both the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act.
Both laws carry significant penalties for violating civil rights, intimidating religious communities, or interfering with protected freedoms.
