Journalists Arrested After ICE Protest at Church, Raising Press Freedom Concerns

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Cities Church is seen in St. Paul, Minn. where activists shut down a service claiming the pastor was also working as an ICE agent, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
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(AURN News) — Four people, including two journalists, were arrested following a protest at St. Paul Church against ICE enforcement.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent reporter Georgia Fort were taken into custody by federal agents, along with activist Trahern Crews and Hennepin County Attorney’s Office staffer Jamael Lundy.

Don Lemon arrives at THR’s Empowerment in Entertainment Gala at Milk Studios, April 30, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, FILE)

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”

Charges remain unclear. U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests on social media as part of the administration’s response to the protest.

Georgia Fort recorded the encounter as federal agents arrived at her home.

“This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest. We are supposed to have our constitutional right to film, to be a member of the press. I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now federal agents are at my door,” Fort said.


Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

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AURN News with Ebony McMorris