‘I’ll Never Stop’: Don Lemon Vows to Keep Reporting After His Arrest as He Covers the Anti-ICE Church Protest

Former CNN anchor and now independent journalist Don Lemon strongly defended his career in journalism on January 30 after being released from federal custody a day after his arrest for reporting on an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church, vowing that the incident would not silence his work.

A U.S. district judge ordered Lemon released on his own recognizance, without the need for a monetary bond. according to Unpleasant The hill. Lemon is facing charges stemming from a protest at a church in Minnesota, where authorities allege worshipers’ constitutional rights were violated.

Speaking outside a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Lemon thanked supporters and described the arrest as a direct challenge to press freedom. “I won’t stop now. I will never stop,” Lemon said. “In fact, there is no more important time than now, right now, for a free and independent media to shine a light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”

Lemon argued that federal authorities targeted him for doing his job. He said the Justice Department sent agents to arrest him “for something I’ve done for the last 30 years, which is covering the news.” He added that the First Amendment “protects that work for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do,” and emphasized, “I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.”

During Lemon’s court appearance, U.S. Attorney Alexander Robbins accused him of participating in what he described as a “mob that terrorized people in a place of worship.” As part of his release conditions, Lemon is prohibited from contacting witnesses or alleged victims and must seek court permission to travel outside the United States.

The charges are related to a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, where demonstrators believed the pastor was involved in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota. The Trump administration has filed charges against Lemon and seven others in connection with the incident. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the event as “a coordinated attack on the Cities Church,” although no sealed federal indictment has yet been made public.

Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023 after years as a primetime anchor, now independently runs “The Don Lemon Show” on YouTube and Substack.

His arrest provoked swift reactions from prominent figures. Former Vice President Kamala Harris called it “another insult to our rights and freedoms.” Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote that “arresting journalists is what happens in can-do dictatorships,” adding, “We must fight back against authoritarianism.”

Lemon was not alone. So was Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort issued January 30. Trahern Jeen Crews, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, who works for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, were also taken into custody and released.

“To all the media who made a statement on my behalf, thank you very much,” Fort said shortly after her release. She added: “Documenting what is happening in our community is not a crime.”

“I should be protected under the First Amendment… do we have a Constitution, that is the pressing question.”

The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists echoed that sentiment, voicing their support for Fort and Lemon, saying journalists “have a responsibility to observe and report events in the public interest” regardless of where a protest takes place.

The organization continued to condemn the arrests, stating, “It is not illegal to document a protest against the federal government. The fact that the protest took place in a church does not waive journalists’ First Amendment rights to reporting.”

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