{"id":119156,"date":"2026-01-30T15:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T20:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/don-lemon-faces-federal-criminal-charges-after-anti-ice-protest-disrupted-minnesota-church-119156"},"modified":"2026-01-30T15:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T20:23:01","slug":"don-lemon-faces-federal-criminal-charges-after-anti-ice-protest-disrupted-minnesota-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/don-lemon-faces-federal-criminal-charges-after-anti-ice-protest-disrupted-minnesota-church-119156","title":{"rendered":"Don Lemon faces federal criminal charges after anti-ICE protest disrupted Minnesota church"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Former CNN anchor and journalist Don Lemon is slated to appear in federal court Friday afternoon to face federal criminal charges<\/a> in connection with his alleged involvement in a protest at a Minnesota church earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lemon will be charged in Los Angeles Friday afternoon on allegations of conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and alleged FACE Act violations, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

The FACE Act, passed in 1994, is a federal law that prohibits the use of force, intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately “injure, intimidate, or interfere” with an individual’s ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a place of worship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FACE Act violations carry penalties ranging from fines to prison time, depending on the severity of the violation alleged and other contributing factors. It is unclear what type of punishment federal prosecutors would seek in the case against Lemon and others charges, and DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.<\/p>\n

MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the case is an “unprecedented attack” on the First Amendment and an attempt by the Justice Department to chill free speech protections, including \u00a0<\/p>\n

He told Fox News Digital in a statement that Lemon would fight the charges “vigorously and thoroughly” in federal court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lemon’s arrest comes more than a week after he was seen with a group of anti-ICE protesters<\/a> who interrupted a church service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as a pastor. The group of protesters was seen chanting “ICE out,” according to video footage, and interrupting the service.<\/p>\n

Three other individuals, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, were also charged Friday in connection with their alleged involvement in the demonstration.<\/p>\n

Fort said she was also at the church in a reporting capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DON LEMON TAPS HUNTER BIDEN’S ATTORNEY TO FIGHT TRUMP DOJ CHARGES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday confirmed reports<\/a> of Lemon’s arrest earlier in the day, saying on social media that he and three others had been taken into custody in connection with the protest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Bondi said on X.<\/p>\n

Lemon, an independent journalist, said he had been attending the demonstration as a reporter, and not as a protester. In a video posted to his YouTube channel<\/a>, Lemon remarked, “I\u2019m just here photographing, I\u2019m not part of the group \u2026 I\u2019m a journalist.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lowell, Lemon’s attorney, said on Friday that Lemon had been attending the demonstration in a reporting capacity, and not as a demonstrator. “Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards,” Lowell said in a statement.<\/p>\n

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” Lowell added. “There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lowell has represented a number of prominent clients in the last 12 months who argue they have been targeted by the Trump administration \u2014 among them, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, and former National Security adviser John Bolton.<\/p>\n

A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota had rejected the Justice Department’s initial attempt to bring criminal charges against Lemon in connection with the Jan. 18 protest, describing the administration’s case against Lemon as “frivolous,” and prompting lawyers for the Justice Department to appeal that decision to a federal appeals court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lemon’s arrest comes as Minnesota has emerged as a flashpoint for immigration protesters in recent weeks, including in the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also prompted fresh concerns over First Amendment protections for journalists, including from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.<\/p>\n

“The arrest today of journalists for covering a protest is deeply chilling,” Her said in a statement Friday. “We need to all be hyper vigilant and call out the way this administration has eroded our First Amendment and other Constitutional rights \u2014 because if we let this go unanswered, it won\u2019t stop here.”<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump<\/a> earlier this week signaled that the administration is willing to “de-escalate” tensions in Minnesota, though further details on that process remain unclear.<\/p>\n

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/don-lemon-faces-federal-criminal-charges-after-anti-ice-protest-disrupted-minnesota-church <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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