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Journalist Don Lemon has been detained after entering a Minnesota church to document anti-immigration enforcement protesters who interrupted a service, escalating tensions between local residents and the Trump administration. This information was revealed by his legal representative on Friday.
Lemon was apprehended by federal authorities in Los Angeles, where he was reporting on the Grammy Awards, according to his lawyer, Abbe Lowell.
The specific charges Lemon might face related to the January 18 protest remain unclear. His arrest follows a magistrate judge’s recent dismissal of an earlier attempt by prosecutors to file charges against him.
Having been dismissed from CNN in 2023, Lemon stated he has no connection to the group that entered the church, emphasizing that his presence was solely as a journalist covering the demonstrators.
“Don has dedicated 30 years to journalism, and his work in Minneapolis, protected by the Constitution, mirrors his longstanding commitment,” Lowell asserted in a statement. “The First Amendment is designed to safeguard journalists whose duty is to illuminate the truth and hold those in authority accountable.”
Lowell added that “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
A prominent civil rights attorney and two other people involved in the protest were arrested last week. Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor.
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