Press freedom groups have condemned the former CNN anchor’s arrest as his lawyer promises to fight the charges “vigorously.”
Journalist Don Lemon has been arrested in connection with his coverage of protests against US President Donald Trump’s deadly immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.
Lemon’s attorney, Abby Rowell, announced Friday that the journalist was arrested in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
It was not immediately clear what charges Lemon was facing. But in recent weeks, the Justice Department said it would target Lemon for his participation in a Jan. 18 protest in St. Paul, Minnesota, when demonstrators disrupted church services.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different from anything he’s ever done,” Lowell said in a statement.
He pointed to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of the press.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists in their role of shining a light on the truth and holding those in power accountable,” Lowell said. “Don will vigorously and thoroughly contest these charges in court.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrest Friday, announcing that Lemon was taken into custody along with three others in connection with what she described as a “coordinated attack on the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
Lemon had joined a series of arrests related to the church demonstration that morning. They included independent journalist Georgia Fort, as well as activists Jamael Rydell Lundy and Traherne Jean Cruz.
Federal authorities had previously arrested Minneapolis civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and two others in connection with the protests.
Press freedom groups immediately condemned the move, calling it a significant escalation in the regime’s attacks on journalists.
“This sends an unmistakable message that journalists must tread carefully as governments explore every possible way to target journalists,” Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Press Freedom Foundation, said in a statement.
The National Press Club also condemned the arrest in a statement. “The arrest and detention of journalists covering protests, public events, and government actions poses a serious threat to press freedom and risks chilling reporting nationwide,” the newspaper said.
Lemon previously served as an anchor for the CNN News Network, but was fired in 2023. He has since worked as an independent journalist and has a prominent presence on YouTube.
“I’m here as a journalist.”
In reporting on the church protests online, Lemon repeatedly identified himself as a reporter while interviewing both demonstrators and churchgoers.
“I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist,” he told attendees.
The church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, was targeted by protesters whose pastor, David Easterwood, also serves as field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Critics have questioned why the Justice Department quickly opened an investigation into the church protests, even though it declined to open a civil rights investigation into the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
But the department announced Friday that it is opening a civil rights investigation into the Jan. 24 killing of U.S. citizen Alex Preti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Friday’s arrest came after a federal judge in Minnesota took the unusual step of refusing to sign an arrest warrant against Lemon last week.
Nevertheless, Justice Department officials vowed to continue pursuing prosecutions.
