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Journalist Don Lemon was arrested successful transportation with an anti-immigration protestation that disrupted a work astatine a Minnesota religion and accrued tensions betwixt residents and the Trump administration, his lawyer said connected Friday (January 30, 2026).
Mr. Lemon was arrested by national agents successful Los Angeles, wherever helium had been covering the Grammy Awards, his lawyer Abbe Lowell said.
It is unclear what complaint oregon charges Mr. Lemon is facing successful the January 18 protest. The apprehension came aft a magistrate justice past week rejected prosecutors’ archetypal bid to complaint the journalist.
Mr. Lemon, who was fired from CNN successful 2023, has said helium has nary affiliation with the organisation that went into the religion and that helium was determination arsenic a writer chronicling protesters.
“Don has been a writer for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected enactment successful Minneapolis was nary antithetic than what helium has ever done,” Mr. Lowell said successful a statement. “The First Amendment exists to support journalists whose relation it is to radiance airy connected the information and clasp those successful powerfulness accountable.”
Mr. Lowell added that “Don volition combat these charges vigorously and thoroughly successful court.”
A salient civilian rights lawyer and 2 different radical progressive successful the protestation were arrested past week. Prosecutors person accused them of civilian rights violations for disrupting a work astatine the Cities Church successful St. Paul, wherever a section authoritative with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves arsenic a pastor.
The Justice Department launched a civilian rights probe aft the radical interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old parent of 3 who was fatally changeable by an ICE serviceman successful Minneapolis.
“Listen large and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote successful societal media station past week.
Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists 1 of its pastors arsenic David Easterwood, who leads an ICE tract office. Many Baptist churches person pastors who besides enactment different jobs.
The Justice Department’s swift probe into the religion disruption stands successful opposition to its determination not to unfastened a civilian rights probe into Good’s sidesplitting by an ICE officer. The section has not said whether it volition unfastened a civilian rights probe into the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by national officers.
“Instead of investigating the national agents who killed 2 peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attraction and resources to this arrest, and that is the existent indictment of wrongdoing successful this case,” Mr. Lowell said.
