Tipsheet

Don Lemon Arrested by Federal Agents

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  January 30, 2026 8:40 AM

No one is above the law, Don Lemon. And you found that out earlier this morning: the former CNN host was arrested by federal agents a little after midnight over his antics regarding a church storming incident in Minneapolis on January 18, where a bunch of anti-ICE protesters stormed a religious service on the assumption that ICE agents were inside. They accused the priests of working with federal immigration officials—it was insane. (via NYT):

The former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., his lawyer said, in a case rejected last week by a magistrate judge. 

Mr. Lemon has said he was simply reporting as a journalist when he entered the Cities Church on Jan. 18 to observe a demonstration against the immigration crackdown in the area. 

The protesters interrupted a service at the church, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor, and chanted “ICE out.” Afterward, the Trump administration sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship. 

But the magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three of the people, rejecting the evidence against Mr. Lemon and the others as insufficient. The Justice Department then petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants, only to be denied. 

Don Lemon might have gotten lucky the first time, when a local judge refused to sign off on an arrest warrant for FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act violations. Yes, they cover religious services, which is something Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellisonlaughaubly only thought applied to abortion clinics. Reportedly, that judge’s wife worked in Ellison’s office, so you can connect the dots there. The Justice Department then dropped its warrant, paving the way for a grand jury indictment, which seems to be the case here.

Law professor Jonathan Turley even said Lemon and the organizer of the church storming played right into the language of the FACE Act:

Don Lemon did his best to perfect the case against the protesters in the Minneapolis Church, as targeting the congregants over their faith. In what sounds like a pitch for prosecution under the FACE Act, Lemon zeroed in on the religious values of the congregants in a new tirade. 

The former CNN host dismissed criticism for storming a church gathering, explaining, "I think people who are, you know, in the religious groups like that, it's not the type of Christianity that I practice, but I think that they're entitled, and that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a White supremacy This follows organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong, who leads the local Racial Justice Network, is declaring that the churchgoers "need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts. Lemon and Armstrong are playing directly into the language of the FACE Act, which “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to … exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship

Lemon is set to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday, where the defense will be that he was covering the leftists' insanity as a journalist.

The other participants involved, including Ms. Armstrong, were also arrested.

Oh, yes, it's going to be 'a First Amendment is under attack despite video evidence (reportedly) showing clear FACE Act violations' kind of day from the usual idiots.