Don Lemon arrested by federal agents over Minnesota church protest: ‘Unprecedented attack on the First Amendment’

The ex-CNN anchor said he reported as a journalist inside a St. Paul church service. “The View” cohost Ana Navarro called his arrest an attempt to “harass and intimidate the free press.”

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents Thursday night over allegations that he broke a federal law when he reported on a Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest from inside a St. Paul, Minn., church.

In a statement from his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, Lemon said he intended to fight the charges brought against him.

“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards. 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 read.

Lowell continued, “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.”

Lemon, 59, reported from inside the church during a Jan. 18 service, where an ICE officer served as a pastor, and protesters later interrupted by chanting “ICE out,” per the New York Times.

President Donald Trump‘s administration then “sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship,” the outlet reported.

The Times additionally reported that Lemon is set to appear Friday in a Los Angeles court, after he said in a prior video message that he was simply doing his journalistic duty by reporting from inside the church.

President Donald Trump’s administration then “sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship,” the outlet reported.

The Times additionally reported that Lemon is set to appear Friday in a Los Angeles court, after he said in a prior video message that he was simply doing his journalistic duty by reporting from inside the church.

“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 in the clip. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”

The View cohost Ana Navarro was one of the first celebrities to weigh in on Lemon’s arrest, with the Republican commentator asking Friday morning, “What the actual f—?” when she posted about the news on Instagram.

“Trump pardons criminals practically daily. But now, they detain @donlemonofficial?” Navarro wrote in her post. “Every day, Trump and his servile accomplices resemble a dictatorship, more and more. This is yet another attempt to harass and intimidate the free press. They want to distract from the horrors they perpetrate and keep us misinformed and scared. It’s not going to work.”

Jim Acosta, Lemon’s former CNN colleague, said his arrest is “outrageous and cannot stand.” “The First Amendment is under attack in America!” Acosta wrote on X.

On Jan. 22, a federal magistrate judge earlier blocked the Justice Department’s attempt to charge Lemon over the incident, which unfolded amid the backdrop of nationwide protests over ICE killing two Minnesota residents: Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot and killed by immigration agents during separate protests.

“The Attorney General is enraged at the magistrate judge’s decision,” a source later told CNN,with regard to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Following the Jan. 18 protest, rapper Nicki Minaj launched a tirade against the former broadcaster, who is gay, and whom she called “DON ‘C— SUCKIN’ LEMON” in a rant that also called for Lemon to be jailed over his reporting from inside the church.

“I usually don’t respond to this stuff, but let me just say this,” Lemon later replied to the recording artist’s message. “Nicki Minaj, stop talking about s— which you know nothing about. This is out of your depth, by the way. And you are a homophobic bigot.”

Ahead of his arrest, Lemon worked as an independent journalist who regularly shares his reporting on social media channels — including his popular YouTube page, where he hosts his digital series The Don Lemon Show. He was previously a longtime anchor on CNN, before he was fired by the network in 2023.