Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and three other individuals were arrested on Friday on allegations that they violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., earlier this month, according to lawyers and Justice Department officials. The arrests revive a case that a magistrate judge rejected just last week.
The arrests of Mr. Lemon, another journalist and two protesters came a little more than a week after three other demonstrators involved in the Jan. 18 action at Cities Church were taken into custody. The prosecution is expected to face significant resistance from defense attorneys on First Amendment grounds, since political protest is central to the charges.
Mr. Lemon and the other journalist, Georgia Fort, have said they entered the church to report on a demonstration opposing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the area.
The protesters disrupted a service at the church, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor, chanting “ICE out.” Following the incident, the Justice Department drafted a criminal complaint seeking to charge eight people, including Mr. Lemon, under a federal law designed to protect individuals’ ability to participate in religious services in houses of worship.
However, the federal magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three people, Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, and William Kelly, and declined to issue arrest warrants for Mr. Lemon and the others, citing insufficient evidence.
The Justice Department later asked a federal appeals court to compel the chief judge of the Federal District Court in Minneapolis to issue additional warrants, but that request was denied.
On Friday morning, James Blair, a deputy White House chief of staff, said in a social media post that a federal grand jury had indicted Mr. Lemon. Ms. Fort said in a video posted online that she had also been indicted.
It was unclear how the remaining two defendants, Trahern Jeen Crews, an activist and former leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, were charged, or whether prosecutors intended to pursue charges against the eighth individual named in the original complaint.
Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing Mr. Lemon, said he would aggressively contest the charges.
“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” Mr. Lowell said in a statement Friday morning. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
He added, “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.”
The Trump administration has brought two criminal charges against the protesters and Mr. Lemon: conspiring to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedom in a house of worship.
Amid the broader conflict over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota, the Justice Department has taken a hard line against those it says crossed from protected protest into unlawful conduct.
The administration publicized images of the initial arrests related to the church protest, and a White House social media account posted an altered image of Ms. Levy Armstrong that appeared to show her crying.
Mr. Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday. With his arrest, he is expected to argue that he was acting as a journalist rather than a protester.
“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,” Mr. Lemon said in a recent video. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”
Mr. Lemon now works as an independent journalist and hosts his own YouTube program. He left CNN in 2023 after 17 years with the network, following criticism over remarks he made about women and aging. He has long been a critic of President Trump, dating back to Trump’s first term, and frequently calls the president a liar.
Don Lemon
Justice Department officials have said they will prosecute protesters they believe have moved beyond First Amendment protections to obstruct law enforcement or violate others’ rights. Demonstrators in Minneapolis, however, argue that their own rights are being infringed as they speak out against the immigration crackdown.
Ms. Fort, a well-known independent journalist in the Twin Cities, said in a Facebook livestream Friday morning that federal agents had come to her home and that she planned to surrender and be taken to the Whipple federal building, which has become a hub for federal operations in Minneapolis.
“This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media,” she said.
Tensions in Minneapolis remain high following two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents. Earlier this month, Renee Good, a mother of three, was driving when an ICE agent fired at close range. Administration officials labeled her a terrorist and said she endangered the agent’s life.
In a separate incident, Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse. Video footage from the scene contradicted early claims by officials that Mr. Pretti had approached agents while brandishing a weapon.
President Trump said Wednesday that he was open to “de-escalating” the situation in Minneapolis, without offering specifics. He replaced Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official who had been the public face of the immigration crackdown in the city, with border czar Tom Homan. Mr. Homan has indicated a willingness to work with local officials and reduce the number of federal agents deployed there.
The arrests come as the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis faces internal upheaval. At a contentious meeting earlier this week, several prosecutors questioned office leadership over the administration’s decision not to pursue investigations into the shootings by federal agents, according to people familiar with the discussions. At least six prosecutors have resigned, and additional departures are expected.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has called on other federal prosecutors’ offices across the Midwest to send temporary staff to assist with investigations and prosecutions.
