Ex-CNN host Don Lemon pleads not guilty in Minnesota church protest case

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles following a Justice Department investigation into a protest he live-streamed at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The January 18 protest disrupted a church service with demonstrators chanting against President Trump's immigration policies and demanding justice for a woman fatally shot by an ICE officer. The arrest, ordered by Attorney General Pam Bondi, comes after a magistrate judge initially rejected prosecutors' attempt to charge Lemon. The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation into the incident, alleging a coordinated attack on Cities Church. Lemon, who was covering the Grammy Awards, faces unspecified charges related to the protest.

Former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday night in connection to an anti-ICE protest he filmed at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 19th. Lemon, along with other protesters, entered the church, alleging that one of the pastors was an ICE official, and disrupted a service. He faces charges related to the disruption, though initial charges sought by the Trump administration for eight individuals, including Lemon, were reduced to three by a magistrate judge. The government's attempt to challenge that decision was unsuccessful. Lemon's lawyer claims his actions were protected under the First Amendment as journalism, while the Department of Justice is pursuing the case. The protests were part of ongoing unrest in Minnesota related to federal immigration enforcement.

In January 2026, journalist Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards, in connection with his reporting on a Minnesota protest against President Trump's immigration enforcement. The arrest stems from Lemon's attendance at a January 18 demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The US Attorney General described the demonstration as a "coordinated attack" on the church. Lemon's lawyer asserts his client was acting as a journalist protected by the First Amendment and will fight the charges. Several others, including another journalist and two activists, were also arrested in connection with the church demonstration.

A federal judge has ordered the release of a five-year-old boy and his father from an ICE detention center in Texas by Tuesday. Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were detained in Minnesota on January 20, sparking public outcry and protests. The judge, Fred Biery, criticized the Trump administration's immigration enforcement approach, suggesting it prioritized deportation quotas even at the expense of traumatizing children. Biery had previously ruled that the pair could not be deported. The judge's order also alluded to the Declaration of Independence, implying the administration's actions mirrored grievances against King George.

In January 2026, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a Minneapolis suburb after Liam returned home from preschool. They were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro visited them at the detention center. Protests occurred outside the facility. On January 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an order for the release of Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from ICE detention.

A U.S. judge ordered the release of a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, from an immigration detention center in Texas on Saturday, after they were detained in Minneapolis. The detention of the boy, who was taken into custody on his driveway, sparked national outrage. Immigration officials claimed they were targeting the father, an "illegal alien," as part of "Operation Metro Surge," a ramped-up immigration enforcement effort in Minneapolis. Judge Fred Biery criticized the detention as driven by a "perfidious lust for unbridled power" and linked it to deportation quotas. The family's lawyer stated they came from Ecuador in 2024 seeking asylum and were following proper protocols. The judge ordered their release by February 3rd.