CNN’s Don Lemon Arrested During Church Protest in Minnesota

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday, January 29, 2026, by federal agents in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards. The arrest stems from his presence at a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators disrupted a service to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies—specifically targeting an ICE official who serves as a pastor there. Authorities charged Lemon and seven others under a federal law protecting religious services, but a judge dismissed charges against Lemon and four others last week, citing insufficient evidence. The Justice Department appealed to a federal appeals court to reinstate the charges—but the request was denied. Lemon’s attorney, Abe Lowell, stated Lemon was acting solely as a journalist with over 30 years of experience and emphasized that the arrest represents a dangerous assault on First Amendment rights. The Trump administration has pursued two criminal counts against Lemon: conspiracy and deprivation of rights, including obstruction of religious freedom in a place of worship. Critics argue the prosecution is politically motivated and part of a broader effort to suppress dissent around aggressive immigration enforcement.