In a recent development, former CNN anchor Don Lemon was taken into custody in Los Angeles for his involvement in a protest at a Minnesota church. The demonstration, which was filmed for his show, took place at Cities Church in St. Paul on January 18. Lemon, aged 59, faces charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and violating the FACE Act by interfering with someone’s First Amendment rights. Just prior to his arrest, Lemon was seen attending the Grammy’s Recording Academy Honors awards in Los Angeles, where he mingled with rapper Busta Rhymes.

The events leading to Lemon’s arrest occurred when he was documenting a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting the church. This was due to one of the pastors, David Eastwood, also serving as a leader for the local ICE field office. The protest turned chaotic, with demonstrators shouting at worshippers, sparking national controversy. Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, issued a statement defending his client’s actions as constitutionally protected, emphasizing Lemon’s long-standing career in journalism and his commitment to reporting the truth.

Lemon’s attorney argued that the First Amendment is designed to protect journalists who seek to illuminate truths and hold power to account, a role Lemon has played throughout his career. During the protest, Lemon was captured on video engaging in a heated exchange with a pastor, who criticized his actions as shameless. Lemon maintained that his conduct was protected under the First Amendment, citing the rights to free speech, assembly, and protest. The attorney further criticized federal authorities for charging Lemon while neglecting to investigate the federal agents involved in the deaths of two peaceful Minnesota protesters.

‘The Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,’ the statement read. ‘This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.’ Lowell concluded the statement by declaring that Lemon ‘will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.’ Last week, Lemon was among eight people the Trump administration sought to charge over the storming of the church, however a magistrate judge rejected the charges against Lemon and approved evidence against only three of the people. Federal officials had previously expressed desire to charge Lemon under the FACE Act, which bans people or groups interfering in religious services.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, also floated charging Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act, which makes it illegal to threaten, hurt, or intimidate people to prevent them from exercising their civil rights. A federal judge in Minneapolis previously blocked attempts to bring those charges against Lemon. The broadcaster lives in New York with his realtor husband Tim Malone, 41, who he married in 2024. Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023 after a 17 year stint at the network. He sparked fury two months before his dismissal while claiming women in their 40s were ‘past their prime’ while discussing the prospects of Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley. Since then, Lemon has set up a YouTube channel and brands himself as an ‘independent journalist’.

It comes as it was revealed that the anti-ICE mob that Lemon joined chose to target the church because one of its pastors, David Easterwood, also serves asthe acting director of the St Paul ICE field office. Easterwood, a pastor at the Cities Church in St. Paul, appeared alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in October, where he spoke of being ‘proud’ of leading the immigration crackdown in the town. At the protest while speaking with Lemon, protester Nekima Levy Armstrong – who was later arrested for her role in the incident- singled Easterwood out as the reason they chose to overwhelm the Sunday service. ‘This will not stand, they cannot pretend to be a house of God, while harboring someone who is commanding ICE agents to terrorize our communities,’ Armstrong told Lemon.