Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort have been arrested in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church led by activists opposing immigration enforcement.
Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, according to his attorney, Abbe Lowell. The arrest stems from a Jan. 18 protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, though it remains unclear what specific charges Lemon may face. A magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial attempt to charge him.
Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has said he was present at the protest solely in his capacity as a journalist and had no affiliation with the group that entered 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 in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
Lowell said Lemon intends to challenge the charges in court.
Independent journalist Georgia Fort was also taken into custody by federal officers Friday morning. Fort livestreamed her arrest on Facebook, saying she was being detained for documenting the protest.
“As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago and now I’m being arrested for that,” Fort said in the video. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, Constitutional rights, when we can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”
A prominent civil rights attorney and two other individuals connected to the protest were arrested last week. Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations related to disrupting a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul. One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads a local field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation after protesters interrupted the service by chanting slogans including “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.
“Listen loud and clear: We do not tolerate attacks on places of worship,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a social media post last week.
Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Church officials have noted that many pastors hold additional jobs outside their ministry.
The Justice Department’s swift investigation into the church disruption has drawn criticism, particularly in contrast to its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Good’s death or the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal officers.
“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,” Lowell said. “That is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case.”
