Los Angeles, United States– Former television journalist Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal law enforcement Friday in Los Angeles in connection with a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18, officials and his attorney said. The arrest occurred while Lemon was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to his legal team, marking a dramatic escalation in a federal investigation that has attracted intense scrutiny from press freedom advocates.
Federal agents arrested Lemon on orders from Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who said the action was linked to what she described as a “coordinated attack on Cities Church” in St. Paul, where demonstrators interrupted a service to protest alleged ties between church leadership and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed the custody and said Lemon was acting as a journalist reporting on the events. “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 in a statement, asserting that the First Amendment protects his work.
Alongside Lemon, federal officials took into custody independent journalist Georgia Fort and two others, Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the same protest, Bondi announced. Fort livestreamed her arrest early Friday from her home.
The Justice Department has not publicly detailed the specific charges against Lemon and the others, but federal prosecutors have previously indicated they were reviewing potential civil rights and federal statutes related to interference with religious worship. A federal magistrate judge had earlier declined to approve an arrest warrant against Lemon, finding insufficient probable cause at that stage, though a grand jury subsequently issued indictments.
The protest in St. Paul drew national attention amid broader tensions over immigration enforcement policies in the United States. Demonstrators entered Cities Church chanting against ICE’s actions and alleging the pastor was connected to federal immigration enforcement, an assertion that has been central to the Justice Department’s investigation.
News organizations, press freedom groups, and civil liberties advocates have criticized the arrests, arguing they could set a troubling precedent for journalists covering public demonstrations and civil unrest. CNN, where Lemon worked for more than 15 years before his 2023 departure, released a statement saying the case raises “profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment.”
Lemon is expected to make an initial federal court appearance in Los Angeles. His attorney said he will challenge the assertions in court, maintaining that his actions were journalistic in nature.
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Hannah Price is a digital journalist who covers breaking news, global events, and trending stories with accuracy and speed. She has previously contributed to several online magazines and has built a reputation for verifying facts before publishing. Hannah believes in responsible reporting and aims to present stories in a way that readers can trust.
