In brief
Former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested for participating in an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a Minnesota church. His lawyer claims that the arrest represents an infringement on press freedom as Lemon was covering the event. The incident has drawn significant media attention and discussions regarding First Amendment rights.
Former CNN host Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and filmed anti-immigration enforcement protesters as they disrupted a service.
Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell.
Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court, the attorney said.
Lemon went into the Cities Church in St Paul on 19 January with a group of protesters who claimed one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.
Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done, Lowell said in a statement posted to Lemon's Instagram account on Friday.
The lawyer added: This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.
In his own defense, Lemon stated: Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.
President Donald Trump's administration initially sought to charge eight people involved in the Minnesota church protest, invoking laws that protect people in places of worship.
However, a magistrate judge who reviewed the case allowed charges only for three individuals, excluding Lemon.
The government later attempted to challenge this decision but was rejected by an appeals court.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized the protests in a previous Minneapolis visit, labeling the situation as horrific.
We're going to pursue this to the ends of the Earth, Harmeet Dhillon from the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division said during an interview with podcaster Megyn Kelly.
The protests are part of ongoing unrest in Minnesota sparked by actions from federal immigration agents that have resulted in tragic confrontations. Jim Acosta, Lemon's former colleague, remarked on social media, This is outrageous and cannot stand. The First Amendment is under attack in America!
