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By Daniel Orton and Dan Gooding
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Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles late Thursday in connection with his reporting on protests at a Minnesota church, according to a statement from his attorney, who called the arrest an "unprecedented attack” on press freedom.
Lemon was taken into custody while covering the Grammy Awards, his lawyer Abbe Lowell said. The statement argues that Lemon’s work in Minnesota, where he was reporting on demonstrations tied to federal immigration enforcement and recent ICE‑related shootings, was constitutionally protected.
“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 shared with Newsweek. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced on X that the DOJ had detained Lemon, along with Trahern Jeen Crews, Jamael Lydell Lundy and independent journalist Georgia Fort, who livestreamed the moments before her arrest on Facebook.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice for further comment via its contact form on Friday morning.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security later told Newsweek: “Don Lemon is being charged with 18 USC 241, Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, and 18 USC 248, Violation of the FACE Act, interfering by force of someone’s First Amendment rights.”
Why It Matters
The arrest comes after a magistrate judge ruled last week that the former CNN anchor could not be charged, with Lowell arguing that Lemon was covered by the First Amendment. The Trump administration has pursued charges against those who entered the church nearly two weeks ago, arguing that they were disrupting churchgoers in their right to practice their religion.
What To Know
Earlier this month, Lemon livestreamed and reported from a protest that spilled into a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators accused a pastor of also overseeing a local ICE field office. Lowell accused the Justice Department of targeting Lemon instead of investigating the deaths of peaceful protesters and said Lemon will fight any charges “vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
The arrest sparked backlash from prominent media figures online, with sports journalist Jemele Hill describing it as "horrifying." Fellow CNN alumnus and self-described friend of Lemon, Jim Acosta, wrote on X, "This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!"
The church protest on January 18 was part of a broader wave of demonstrations in Minnesota following two shooting incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37‑year‑old American citizen, and the wounding of a Venezuelan migrant during an attempted detention.
The DOJ has moved forward with arrests of several activists connected to the disruption of the service, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, a prominent civil rights advocate in the area, and William Kelly, a former Army private who was deployed to Iraq from September 2008 through September 2009, who spoke to Newsweek following the protest.
By contrast, the DOJ opted not to open civil rights investigations into the use of force by federal agents who shot and killed Good and Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, who died this past weekend.
Who Is Georgia Fort?
Georgia Fort is an independent journalist based in Minnesota who has covered policing, protest movements and civil rights issues, including demonstrations against ICE. Fort was arrested by federal authorities early on Friday in connection with her coverage of the January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul. Fort has said she was present in a journalistic capacity and livestreamed the event; federal officials later alleged that participants in the protest may have violated federal civil rights laws. Bondi said Fort's arrest was part of a broader investigation into what she called a "coordinated attack" on the church.
What Is The KKK Act?
The Ku Klux Klan Act, formally the Civil Rights Act of 1871, is a Reconstruction‑era federal law designed to protect constitutional rights and combat conspiracies to deprive individuals of those rights through force, intimidation or coordinated action. Enacted in response to post‑Civil War violence by the Ku Klux Klan, the law allows federal authorities to prosecute conspiracies that interfere with rights such as voting, due process and freedom of religion. In this case, DOJ officials have cited the KKK Act as a potential basis for charges, arguing that the coordinated disruption of a church service may have deprived worshippers of their First Amendment right to freely exercise religion.
What People Are Saying
Attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement shared with Newsweek: "Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case. This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."
Georgia Fort, during a livestream on Facebook Friday morning, told viewers: "This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media. We are supposed to have our constitutional right of the freedom to film, to be a member of the press. I don't feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press, because now federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on X Friday: "Don Lemon is an accomplished journalist whose urgent work is protected by the First Amendment. There is zero basis to arrest him and he should be freed immediately. The Trump Justice Department is illegitimate and these extremists will all be held accountable for their crimes against the Constitution."
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, on X January 22: "Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States—there is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion."
Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett, in a statement shared with Newsweek: “Journalists locked up, peaceful protestors shot. Lawfully carrying became a death sentence. Hotels forced to quarter federal 'agents'. People being disappeared off the street with no due process. Granting pardons and immunity to criminals at every level of the government while inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on the people. The entire Bill of Rights has gone up in flames. I feared that if Trump was re-elected that our 1787 Constitution would go through the Project 2025 paper shredder. If we don’t speak out forcefully and demand immediate action now, none of us will ever be safe nor will we have any liberty, rights, or self-governance.
“I’m calling for the immediate release of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort who are being held unlawfully and without cause by the Department of Injustice.
What Happens Next
Lemon was expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Friday morning.
This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 01/30/26, 9:44 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Abbe Lowell and additional information.
Update, 01/30/26, 10:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update, 01/30/26, 10:28 a.m. ET: This article was updated with public comments made by Georgia Fort.
Update 01/30/26, 12:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from DHS and Representative Jasmine Crockett.
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