Don Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes in connection with Minnesota church protest

Journalists charged for church protest roles

Court hearings for independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were held on Friday after both were charged for their roles in covering an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota. FOX 9’s Paul Blume has the details.

(FOX 9) - Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was charged with federal civil rights crimes in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church. Lemon was apprehended in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards, according to his attorney, Abbe Lowell. 

Don Lemon taken into custody

What we know:

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X, "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."

Lemon has since been released. 

The arrests are in connection with a protest that took place Jan. 18 inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest involved demonstrators entering the church during a service to oppose the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Don Lemon speaks onstage during Telling the Truth in an Age of Misinformation at the 2025 Blackweek Conference at Spring Studios on October 07, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

A federal magistrate judge previously rejected the Justice Department’s initial attempt to bring charges against Lemon.  Despite those rulings, Lemon was taken into custody Friday. Officials did not immediately disclose what legal authority was used or what charges, if any, were being pursued.

Lemon releases statement on Facebook 

Shortly after being taken into custody, The Don Lemon Show released the following statement on Facebook: