Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Thursday night in Los Angeles by federal authorities, according to multiple media reports, marking a dramatic escalation in an ongoing investigation tied to anti-ICE unrest in Minnesota.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed the arrest in a statement released Friday morning, saying Lemon was taken into custody while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards. Lowell framed the arrest as an attack on press freedom, arguing Lemon was engaged in constitutionally protected journalism.
“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles,” Lowell said. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
Lowell accused the Trump Justice Department of targeting Lemon instead of investigating the deaths of two individuals killed during recent confrontations involving federal agents in Minnesota. He called the arrest “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and said Lemon intends to fight the charges in court.
Lemon reportedly spent the night in custody and is expected to make an initial court appearance Friday.
According to CBS News, the arrest was carried out by the FBI in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). While the specific charges have not yet been formally unsealed, reports indicate Lemon may be charged under the Enforcement Act of 1871 — commonly referred to as the Ku Klux Klan Act — a federal law that criminalizes conspiracies to interfere with civil rights, including religious worship.
The arrest stems from Lemon’s alleged involvement in a January 18 incident in which a group of anti-ICE activists forced their way into St. Paul’s Cities Church in Minnesota during a service. Federal officials have said the incident violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which also protects places of religious worship from intimidation and obstruction.
Authorities allege Lemon was part of the group that stormed the church. Lemon has denied participating in the action, insisting he was present solely in a journalistic capacity to cover the protest.
The activists involved claimed they targeted the church after learning that one of its pastors is affiliated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in Minnesota, where Democratic officials and left-wing activists have fiercely opposed ICE enforcement operations targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records, including those convicted of violent crimes.
CBS News reported that a prior attempt by the Department of Justice to arrest Lemon last week was blocked after an appellate court in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota declined to approve an arrest warrant. That warrant reportedly stemmed from a grand jury indictment, which was later acted upon in California.
Federal officials have not yet publicly commented on the arrest or released full details of the charges, but the case is expected to intensify the already heated national debate over immigration enforcement, protest activity, and the boundaries between journalism and activism.
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Who cares, he’s a No-Body ! If it was the Governor or the Mayor for inciting the Church demonstration then it would actually be Something !
Bringing refreshments and slapping participants on the back in a jovial way and then entering the sanctuary looks an awful lot like a participant. Where was his notepad or microphone or camera crew? Nope none of that there.. hiding behind journalistic pleasure does not absolve him from the actions he took while there.
Can he do it again?
Sikh temple
Mosque
Buddhist temple
ICE allies everyplace
Well, I guess he shouldn’t have led the way into the church!