Don Lemon, a veteran journalist, was taken into custody alongside three others on Friday for their role in an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The arrest comes after federal agents targeted Lemon during his coverage of the Grammy Awards.
Lemon's attorney Abbe Lowell stated that his client had been filming the protest as a journalist and maintained that he was not affiliated with the organization present at the church. "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. "The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable."
According to officials, Lemon's arrest is connected to an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor. The group chanted slogans like "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good," referring to a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests, stating that they were made at her direction. Bondi wrote on social media, "Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP." Lemon had previously predicted on his show that the administration would try to charge him again, saying he was not going anywhere.
In a statement, Lowell added, "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 attorney Abbe Lowell stated that his client had been filming the protest as a journalist and maintained that he was not affiliated with the organization present at the church. "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. "The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable."
According to officials, Lemon's arrest is connected to an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor. The group chanted slogans like "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good," referring to a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests, stating that they were made at her direction. Bondi wrote on social media, "Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP." Lemon had previously predicted on his show that the administration would try to charge him again, saying he was not going anywhere.
In a statement, Lowell added, "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."
. don lemon's arrested for just doing his job, you know? he was trying to shine a light on some important issues and now he's paying the price. it's like, what even is the point of having a free press if we're just gonna silence ppl who try to speak truth to power?
. how can we trust someone in a position of power to represent our values when they're also profiting off immigration enforcement? it's like, don't get me wrong, i'm all for border security and all that, but not at the expense of basic human rights.
. either way, it's clear that we need to be having these conversations, even if they're uncomfortable 
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The fact that they're targeting a veteran journalist who's been in the game for 30 years is just ridiculous. And can we talk about how tone-deaf this whole situation is? They're going after protests and journalists, but what about the real issue at hand: ICE officers getting away with murder? 
the first amendment is in place for a reason, you know? it's supposed to protect us from government overreach... like this?! 
This is getting outta hand! I mean, Don Lemon's been a journalist for 30 years, what's next? We're gonna start arresting journalists left and right just 'cause they're trying to do their job. 
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. The fact that he was taken into custody just for doing his job as a journalist is a huge red flag 
. I mean, can you imagine if they started arresting people who protested against war or inequality? It's like the gov't is trying to silence journalists and limit our access to information 
. The First Amendment is meant to protect people like him, not stifle their voices 
and I just want to know what the real motive is behind these arrests 
And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that he's being charged with something as simple as filming a protest? Like, what's next? Arresting people for taking pictures at a rally? 
It's just not right. The First Amendment is supposed to protect journalists like Don Lemon, not silence them. 
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Can't believe what's goin' on here... Don Lemon gets arrested for doin' his job? It's like they think journalists are above the law or somethin'. I mean, come on, he's just tryin' to report the truth about ICE and its brutality. The fact that the AG is makin' a big deal outta this just shows how much they're scared of bein' held accountable. And what's with the pastor thing? Just 'cause someone's got a title don't mean they can start crackin' down on free speech 
. and now the AG is all up in arms about attacks on places of worship 
... meanwhile, the real issue here is that ICE agents killed a momma of 3 and no one's held accountable 
. what's good fam? 
... I mean, I get it, they're trying to send a message, but arresting a journalist just because you don't like what he's saying? That's not cool 
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. I think the real indictment here is on the Trump Justice Department for wasting resources on this and not focusing on actual wrongdoing 
I mean have you ever been to maui? The roads on the island are like something out of a movie, all windy and stuff 
. And the food? Forget about it, poke bowls for days 
. anyway, back to don lemon... what's with the whole ICE thing in america? feels like we're getting more divided by the day 
it's like they're trying to silence the truth and i'm here for it 
don't get me wrong, protests are important but journalists gotta report what's going down too 