MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[SouthAussie]

[Georgia] Fort, in an interview with MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow on Monday, said it was “extremely traumatic” for her family when nearly two dozen agents came to her house to arrest her. She has three daughters, and initially thought the youngest two -- aged seven and eight -- slept through most of it.

“I did find out at some point my eight-year-old woke up but she was so terrified, she just laid in her bed and cried,”

Fort said there’s been a strategic attack on the press for some time, but the arrests of her and Lemon takes things to a new level. “I really want American people to understand, attacking the press is not simply attacking journalists,” she said. “It’s attacking the public’s right to know.”

Don Lemon says a dozen agents were sent to arrest him even though he offered to turn himself in

Independent journalist Don Lemon said about a dozen federal agents came to his Los Angeles hotel to arrest him last week, even though his attorney had told authorities he would turn himself in to face federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that...

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[shotgun09]

[Georgia] Fort, in an interview with MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow on Monday, said it was “extremely traumatic” for her family when nearly two dozen agents came to her house to arrest her. She has three daughters, and initially thought the youngest two -- aged seven and eight -- slept through most of it.

“I did find out at some point my eight-year-old woke up but she was so terrified, she just laid in her bed and cried,”

Fort said there’s been a strategic attack on the press for some time, but the arrests of her and Lemon takes things to a new level. “I really want American people to understand, attacking the press is not simply attacking journalists,” she said. “It’s attacking the public’s right to know.”

Don Lemon says a dozen agents were sent to arrest him even though he offered to turn himself in

Independent journalist Don Lemon said about a dozen federal agents came to his Los Angeles hotel to arrest him last week, even though his attorney had told authorities he would turn himself in to face federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that...

www.ctvnews.ca

I agree that it had to be terrifying for Fort's children. I personally wish that on no child. But, I wonder where the thoughts of terrifying children was when Ms Fort was allegedly in a church, participating and encouraging terrifying young children ( amongst others ) herself? Pot meet kettle, so they say. IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

I agree that it had to be terrifying for Fort's children. I personally wish that on no child. But, I wonder where the thoughts of terrifying children was when Ms Fort was allegedly in a church, participating and encouraging terrifying young children ( amongst others ) herself? Pot meet kettle, so they say. IMO

Yes, but I also think they were thinking of all the little children who are being terrified by ICE, when Don and Georgia documented that protest. And the children who lost their mother when Renee Good was shot and killed by ICE.

It is so sad that all the children have to be caught up in these adult problems.

imo

 

[concernedcitizen706]

"Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994

Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (2) intentionally injuring, intimidating, or interfering with, or attempting to injure, intimidate, or interfere, any person by FORCE, threat of force, or physical obstruction exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship"

https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/senate-bill/636

People seem to forget the uses of the word FORCE, or threat of force, in the law. Or physical obstruction.

None of which Don Lemon did. So Don Lemon was falsely arrested, as well as the other journalists.

Force has a real meaning and that would mean using physical force or some kind of physical intimidation. Walking into a church and politely interviewing people is not the threat of force.

---- And just to expand on that more. If the element of the use of force was not important to the law, then the law would have been stated differently. The law would have been written like this:

"Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (2) intentionally injuring, intimidating, or interfering with, any person exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship"

If that's how the law was written, then you could maybe argue Don Lemon was guilty, with possibly the term interfering applying. But that's not how the law was written. So proving the use of FORCE is an important part of the law. Perhaps the law has been wrongfully used in the past, but that should stop now.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

That is not accurate according to the PC affidavit. Protestors on site at the church made it clear they were there protesting ICE, and at that church specifically due to Pastor Easterwood's connection to US federal immigration.

The pastors and/or leaders of that church and what they believe about Christian Nationalism was never once mentioned in any of the charging documents as the reason for the protest.

ETA: See pages 3, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 FBI affidavit in suport of arrest warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

According to the protestors this was all about ICE, and had nothing whatsoever to do with Christian Nationalism or white nationalism, or any other issue.

The charging documents are highly biased, IMO. That's why they were forced to go the GJ route in the first place. Through the news articles already posted, it seems the protestors knew about the pastor was both with ICE and accused of white supremacy. I'm going to assume Christian nationalism as well, but I could be wrong and they could be mixing up white supremacy with Christian nationalism.

MOO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Any claim of “journalist” status is contradicted by his conduct, which aligns with that of a protester. imo

Can you be specific about what conduct aligns with that of a protestor instead of a journalist?

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Can you be specific about what conduct aligns with that of a protestor instead of a journalist?

I was answering a question.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Sure, but federal immigration officers are picking up anyone who is an illegal immigrant, or who is an immigrant with a criminal history. Caucasian Canadians have been picked up and put in detention.

False. They are picking up whoever they want and that's why there are protestors, that's why people with racial justice motives are involved, that's why Don Lemon was even there in the first place. Any journalist would be there (and were). There are several examples of people who are here legally and have done nothing wrong who have been picked up and detained or deported, which is 100% against our laws and Constitution. THAT'S what people are protesting and that's why they went into the church to protest the pastor, IMO.

'I was numb': Mistakenly deported US college student says her life was turned upside down

A Massachusetts college student mistakenly deported to Honduras said the experience left her in shock and numb and wondering why she had been detained.

www.kcra.com

Detention of Rümeysa Öztürk - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://www.cato.org/blog/1/5-ice-arrests-are-latinos-streets-no-criminal-past-or-removal-order

Visas revoked from students at multiple Maryland universities

Multiple Maryland universities are seeing student visas revoked, 11 News confirmed Tuesday.

www.wbaltv.com

https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118692/documents/HMKP-119-JU00-20251118-SD001.pdf

https://www.cato.org/blog/5-ice-detainees-have-violent-convictions-73-no-convictions

I'm not convinced that "racialjusticemn" and "white supremacy" causes can be connected to federal immigration officers. It could be interpreted that people who have something to say about "racialjusticemn" and "white supremacy" are using ongoing protests against federal immigration law to further their cause.

Case in point:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jasmine-mooney-ice-detainee-canada-mexico-border-work-visa-1.7501758

It might also be interpreted that we are living in unprecedented times when federal officers are allowed to kill two US citizens without facing any consequences, and those with an interest in racial justice find alignment with the cause of protestors against this particular cause.

MOO.