WASHINGTON (MNN); Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested in connection with a protest at a church in Minnesota opposing US President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign, marking the latest Justice Department action against a prominent critic of the administration.
Lemon had livestreamed a demonstration earlier this month that disrupted a church service in St. Paul. The protest was aimed at condemning the deployment of thousands of armed immigration agents sent by the Trump administration to major cities in Minnesota as part of a nationwide enforcement surge.
Federal agents involved in the operation have frequently clashed with demonstrators. According to officials, two US citizens were fatally shot during encounters with law enforcement — one before and another after the protest that ultimately led to Lemon’s arrest.
A Justice Department official said Lemon has been charged with conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating a federal law that prohibits obstruction of access to houses of worship. FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested him in Los Angeles, his lawyer Abbe Lowell confirmed.
The arrest came just over a week after a federal magistrate judge declined to issue an arrest warrant against Lemon. Sources familiar with the matter said Lemon had been under FBI surveillance for several days prior to his arrest, though the FBI declined to comment.
In a statement, Lowell defended Lemon, saying the journalist was exercising constitutionally protected rights. He said Lemon’s work during the Minneapolis protest was no different from his reporting over a 30-year journalism career, calling the arrest an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and an attempt to divert attention from wider crises facing the administration.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said three other individuals, including independent local journalist Georgia Fort, were also arrested in connection with the protest.
The unrest surrounding the immigration crackdown in and around Minneapolis has triggered political fallout for President Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found divisions within the Republican Party over whether the administration’s immigration measures have gone too far.
Under Trump, the Justice Department has repeatedly sought legal action against critics and perceived opponents. Past efforts included unsuccessful attempts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Investigations have also been launched into several Democratic lawmakers, a former CIA director, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who has resisted pressure to rapidly cut interest rates.
Lemon spent 17 years at CNN and became one of the network’s most recognisable figures, frequently criticising government policies on air. He was dismissed in 2023 following on-air remarks about women and then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley that were widely criticised as sexist. Lemon later issued an apology.
Trump has regularly criticised journalists and media organisations, at times suing outlets for damages or revoking press credentials. Earlier this month, FBI agents searched the home of a Washington Post reporter investigating the mass firing of federal workers, citing a probe into alleged leaks of classified information.
Press freedom advocates warned that Lemon’s arrest reflects a broader effort to intimidate journalists. National Press Club President Mark Schoeff said jailing journalists for doing their job poses a serious threat to press freedom and the public’s right to information.
Legal experts said they were unaware of precedents for journalists being arrested after the fact under the statutes used in Lemon’s case, including the 1871 civil rights law originally aimed at the Ku Klux Klan and the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
A magistrate judge had earlier ruled there was no probable cause to arrest Lemon, stating there was no evidence he or his video producer engaged in criminal activity or conspiracy.
