Don Lemon Arrested by Federal Agents After Covering Anti-ICE Church Protest in Minnesota

 

Don Lemon Arrested by Federal Agents After Covering Anti-ICE Church Protest in Minnesota

Don Lemon was arrested last night in Los Angeles after reporting on an anti-ICE protest.

The former CNN anchor's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement on Friday, Jan. 30, that Lemon "was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards."

The FBI confirmed the arrest to PEOPLE, saying, "The HSI [Homeland Security] & FBI arrested Mr. Lemon last night in Beverly Hills at approximately midnight based on a federal warrant issued in another district."

The arrest stems from a Jan. 18 protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., where demonstrators interrupted a religious service to protest immigration enforcement, chanting “ICE out."

PEOPLE has contacted Lemon's lawyer for additional information.

Prosecutors have accused Lemon of violating a federal law that protects the right of people to participate in services at houses of worship, The New York Times reported, though Lemon has said he entered the church solely in his role as a journalist covering the demonstration.

"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 statement, which was posted to Instagram, continued. 

Don Lemon attends the 15th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in New York.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP,

"The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable," the statement read. "There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”

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Lemon works as an independent journalist and hosts a self-titled show on YouTube. He was pushed out of CNN in 2023 after 17 years at the network following backlash over comments he made about women and aging.

The 59-year-old had been on a livestream that began outside the church, before he followed protesters as they went inside the building, The Hollywood Reporter stated. Lemon reportedly interviewed protesters, congregants and a pastor during the protest.

Don Lemon speaks onstage during the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' 2025 Ripple of Hope Gala at New York Hilton on Dec. 9, 2025 in New York City.

Kevin Mazur/Getty 

According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors initially sought to charge eight people in connection with the protest, including Lemon. However, a magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence last week approved charges against only three individuals, rejecting the evidence against Lemon and the others as insufficient.

The Justice Department later petitioned a federal appeals court to compel the magistrate judge to issue additional arrest warrants, including one for Lemon, but that request was denied, the outlet reported.

Lemon has previously addressed the incident in a video, insisting he was reporting on the protest rather than participating in it.

“Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization,” Lemon said. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”

Justice Department officials have said they intend to prosecute protesters they believe crossed the line from activity protected by the First Amendment into unlawful conduct, The New York Times reported, while demonstrators in Minneapolis have argued their constitutional rights are being violated amid an aggressive federal immigration crackdown.

Tensions in the area have remained high following the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal immigration agents. Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, was shot earlier this month while sitting in her car, while Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse, was killed in a separate encounter just over two weeks later.

"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," Lemon's lawyer said in his statement.

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