Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Arrested Over Minnesota Church Protest Coverage
Federal agents arrested journalist Don Lemon in Los Angeles on Thursday night in connection with an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church earlier this month. The arrest, confirmed by his lawyer on Friday, has significantly escalated tensions between the press, local activists, and the Trump administration regarding immigration enforcement tactics.
Lemon, who was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, was taken into custody following a grand jury indictment related to the January 18 demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul. The incident involved protesters interrupting a Sunday service to chant slogans against the church’s pastor, David Easterwood, who also serves as a high-ranking official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The confrontation at the church occurred during a volatile period in the Twin Cities, following the fatal shooting of a local woman, Renee Good, by an ICE officer. The shooting sparked widespread outrage and deepened the rift between Minnesota residents and federal immigration authorities.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the arrest as a politically motivated attack on the free press. “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 stated. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
According to the defense, Lemon entered the church solely to document the event as a reporter and had no affiliation with the activist groups involved. A federal magistrate judge had previously rejected an initial request by prosecutors to charge Lemon, citing a lack of evidence that he participated in the disruption. However, federal authorities proceeded with the arrest, alleging that the conduct violated civil rights statutes protecting religious services from intimidation and obstruction.
Government officials have defended the crackdown, with the Justice Department emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for disruptions in places of worship. The investigation has also led to the arrests of a prominent civil rights attorney and other activists who were present at the scene.
Lemon is expected to fight the charges in court, with his legal team arguing that the administration is targeting a journalist to distract from the controversy surrounding the recent ICE shooting. The case is poised to become a significant legal battle over the rights of reporters to cover protests on private property.
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