Everything we know about Don Lemon’s LA arrest for Minnesota anti-ICE protests

Ex-CNN host Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles by federal authorities weeks after he followed anti-ICE protesters who barged into a Minnesota church during Sunday service.

Prosecutors say he was impeding the congregation’s right to religion, but Lemon’s attorneys claim his independent coverage is “constitutionally protected work.”

Here’s everything we know so far about Lemon’s arrest:

Why was Don Lemon arrested in Los Angeles?

Lemon was arrested for joining dozens of anti-ICE protesters when they barged into a Jan. 18 prayer service in the Twin Cities while he covering the action for his program “The Don Lemon Show.”

He is being charged with Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, which which makes it illegal for “two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States,” according to the Department of Justice.

He’s also being charged with Violation of the FACE Act, or the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act — a 1994 federal law that deals with access to health clinics but also covers interference with religious worship as well as conspiracy statutes.

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Where was Don Lemon arrested in LA?

Lemon was taken into custody after 11 p.m. in a hotel lobby in Beverly Hills, according to CNN.

He spent the night in jail.

When will Don Lemon be in court?

Lemon’s bond hearing is expected at 2 p.m. at a Los Angeles courthouse and is being handled by the US Attorney’s Office in California.

He is expected to make an appearance at the court hearing.

Why was Don Lemon in LA when he was arrested?

“The Don Lemon Show” star was in Los Angeles to cover the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

He spent his final hours of freedom attending the 2026 Recording Academy Honors, where he was snapped in photos beaming with Busta Rhymes and chatted about his “fearless” brand of journalism.

Lemon also posted a TikTok of himself bopping to a live performance at a Spotify event in West Hollywood.

What happened at the anti-ICE demonstration at the Minnesota church?

As many as 40 anti-ICE protesters barged into Sunday worship at Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18 while chanting “ICE out.”

The agitators were reportedly under the impression that the house of worship’s pastor, David Easterwood, is a member of the federal immigration enforcement agency — a notion that Lemon perpetuated in a post on the social network Bluesky.

The rally came days after Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration officer in Minneapolis, but before Alex Pretti suffered the same fate.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the incident a “coordinated attack” on the church.

Don Lemon’s role at anti-ICE protest in Minnesota

Lemon followed the group into the church and documented the protest for “The Don Lemon Show.”

In a clip filmed just before the incident, Lemon told the camera he had done some “reconnaissance” with activist groups, which told him they were planning a disruption they called “Operation Pull-Up.”

“It’s Nekima Armstrong, she’s been doing this since George Floyd, Daunte Wright and others, where they surprise people, catch them off-guard and hold them to account,” the former CNN host added, dropping the name of a prominent local activist.

“So that’s what we’re doing here, and after we do this operation, you’ll see it live, these operations are surprise operations, again I can’t tell you where they’re going,” he said.

Once inside the church, Lemon interviewed the church’s lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell, on camera, who called the protest “shameful.”

Lemon fired back, “Listen, there’s a Constitution and a First Amendment to freedom of speech and freedom to assemble and protest,” he said.

After receiving widespread criticism for his involvement in the protest, Lemon attempted to walk back his earlier remarks, saying he had “no affiliations with that organization.”

“I didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them. We were there chronicling protests,” Lemon claimed.