Feds Arrest 4 Black People—Including Don Lemon—Over ICE Protest

Federal agents arrested two Black journalists—Don Lemon and independent Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort—and two Black activists on Thursday night.

“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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote. “More details soon.”

Each person arrested was connected to an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul earlier this month. It is unclear what they will be charged with, and it appears they are being targeted for their First Amendment rights.

“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” a statement from Lemon’s lawyer read. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done … Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case. This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

The Justice Department announced that they would “pursue charges” against Lemon just over a week ago.

“Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility,” Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said on ‘The Benny Show’ earlier this month. “He went into the facility, and then he began — quote, unquote — ‘committing journalism,’ as if that’s sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part, of a criminal conspiracy. It isn’t.”

Fort was detained in her home in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“I wanted to alert the public that agents are at my door right now, they’re saying that they were able to go before a grand jury … and that they have a warrant for my arrest,” Fort said in a Facebook live video before being arrested.

“As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago, and now I’m being arrested for that,” she added. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, constitutional rights, when we can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”

This story has been updated.