OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
1:31 PM – Friday, February 13, 2026
Former CNN host Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges after livestreaming an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest that disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Lemon, now a left-wing independent journalist after being fired from CNN, was arrested in late January and released without bond. He made no comments to reporters as he arrived at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Friday, accompanied by his attorney, Joe Thompson.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charged Lemon with conspiracy to deprive rights (18 USC 241) and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act (18 USC 248) for purportedly interfering with churchgoers’ constitutional right to freely practice their religion in their house of worship amid the Sunday morning protest.
He pleaded not guilty to both accusations. Lemon and his team argue that he was only covering the incident as a member of the press, despite having foreknowledge of the planned disruption.
In one clip from his “coverage,” Lemon asserted that the protesters were exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech. In another segment, however, he deliberately turned his camera away while the anti-ICE agitators appeared to discuss their plans, citing the need to safeguard their “sensitive” information.
Viewers have also pointed out that he, at times, used collective language like “we” and “us,” signaling that Lemon considered himself part of the unruly crowd rather than an impartial observer, as his team claims.
The January protest was organized by a group of agitators targeting the St. Paul church over allegations that one of its pastors was an ICE agent. Along with Lemon, federal authorities arrested several others, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, civil rights attorney and former Minneapolis NAACP president Nekima Levy Armstrong, and St. Paul Board of Education member Chauntyll Louisa Allen, as well as William Scott Kelly, Ian Davis Austin, and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.
In late January, Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy awards at the time. This was shortly after the controversial protest made headlines.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon also previously warned Lemon on X that the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Civil Rights Division would be looking into whether his involvement violated the FACE Act.
“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice!” Dhillon stated.
Another attorney representing Lemon, Abbe Lowell, released a statement following his arrest where he argued that the prosecution “violated the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of the press.”
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” said Lowell. “The First amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he added.
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