Journalist Don Lemon arrested after protest that disrupted Minnesota church service

WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalist Don Lemon was arrested in connection with an anti-immigration protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church and increased tensions between residents and the Trump administration, his lawyer said Friday.

Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, his attorney Abbe Lowell said.

READ MORE: 3 people involved in Minnesota church protest are arrested

It is unclear what charge or charges Lemon is facing in the Jan. 18 protest. The arrest came after a magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors' initial bid to charge the journalist.

Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and that he was there as a journalist chronicling protesters.

WATCH: Minnesota leaders and protesters push for accountability after ICE shooting

"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. "The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable."

Lowell added that "Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."

Since he left CNN, Lemon has joined the legion of journalists who have gone into business for himself, posting regularly on YouTube. He hasn't hidden his disdain for Trump. Yet during his online show from the church, he said repeatedly, "I'm not here as an activist. I'm here as a journalist." He described the scene in front of him, and interviewed churchgoers and demonstrators.

READ MORE: Fact-checking FBI Director Patel's claim that guns are barred at protests

Shortly after the first attempt to charge him fell through, he predicted on his show that the administration would try again.

"And guess what," he said, "here I am. Keep trying. That's not going to stop me from being a journalist. That's not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead, make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel, if you want. Just do it. Because I'm not going anywhere."

A prominent civil rights attorney and two other people involved in the protest were arrested last week. Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor.

The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good," referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.

READ MORE: Congress debates possible consequences for ICE and Noem after Renee Good's killing

"Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in social media post last week.

Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads an ICE field office.

Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work other jobs.

The Justice Department's swift investigation into the church disruption stands in contrast to its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into Good's killing by an ICE officer. The department has not said whether it will open a civil rights probe into the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal officers.

"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," Lowell said.

Associated Press reporter Dave Bauder in New York City contributed.