Former CNN host Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and filmed anti-immigration enforcement protesters as they disrupted a service. Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell. 'Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,' the attorney said.
Lemon went into the Cities Church in St Paul on January 19 with a group of protesters who claimed that one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official. Lowell emphasized that Lemon's journalistic efforts aligned with his 30 years of experience, adding: 'This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.' In a recent video, Lemon defended his actions stating, 'Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.'
The Trump administration had initially sought to charge eight individuals involved in the protest for actions considered harmful to the sanctity of places of worship, but a magistrate judge approved charges for only three individuals, excluding Lemon. Meanwhile, the government attempted to challenge the decision but was unsuccessful at the appeals court level. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized the protests in previous remarks, describing the events as 'horrific.' In response to Lemon's arrest, his former CNN colleague Jim Acosta declared on social media, 'This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!' The protests stemmed from ongoing unrest in Minnesota linked to federal immigration operations that have tragically resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
Lemon went into the Cities Church in St Paul on January 19 with a group of protesters who claimed that one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official. Lowell emphasized that Lemon's journalistic efforts aligned with his 30 years of experience, adding: 'This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.' In a recent video, Lemon defended his actions stating, 'Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.'
The Trump administration had initially sought to charge eight individuals involved in the protest for actions considered harmful to the sanctity of places of worship, but a magistrate judge approved charges for only three individuals, excluding Lemon. Meanwhile, the government attempted to challenge the decision but was unsuccessful at the appeals court level. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized the protests in previous remarks, describing the events as 'horrific.' In response to Lemon's arrest, his former CNN colleague Jim Acosta declared on social media, 'This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!' The protests stemmed from ongoing unrest in Minnesota linked to federal immigration operations that have tragically resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
