Don Lemon Reportedly Called His Arrest Days Before It Played Out

Don Lemon reportedly saw it coming and foretold his future interaction with the authorities.

The former CNN reporter was taken into custody a week after an active protest against ICE agents at a church in Minnesota. He was present at the scene and maintains that he only covered the happenings for the media but did not join the protest. 

Don Lemon has been charged with impeding people's right to worship and is prepared to fight the charges tooth and nail. President Donald Trump previously spoke out against the protesters and the reporter, saying he had violated the FACE Act.

Lemon seemed to know that this arrest was in the books for him already. He predicted that he would be taken before the eventual arrest, which took place just before midnight on January 29.

He spoke about it in an interview with Scripps News while addressing the fact that a judge had rejected the Justice Department's initial attempt to indict him.

He stated that he felt they were going to keep trying different avenues to get him, just like they did with James Comey, referring to the indictment of the former FBI director in September, which was later dismissed.

When asked how he felt about their initial attempt yielding no case against him, he said that it did not matter, stressing that President Donald Trump's administration will "go around a judge and just do it themselves."

On the matter that later spawned his arrest, Lemon clarified that he was not part of the protest but was the "biggest name" at the demonstration. Arresting him would be a big win for the government authorities.

On January 18, 2026, protesters made a demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, which interrupted a religious service. Their cause was to call out and protest against immigration enforcement; this they did by chanting, "ICE out."

PEOPLE covered that prosecutors accused Lemon of violating a federal law that protects the rights of people to participate in services at their different places of worship and thus should be punished.

On the contrary, Lemon's attorney, Abbe Lowell, published a statement explaining that he entered the church, not as a protester but as a journalist covering the protest.

Lowel continued stating that "The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable." The battle between the law and the protesters is gradually becoming fierce, and both sides have some degree of constitutional backing

The Justice Department officials expressed their intention to prosecute protesters as they believe they crossed the line from activity protected by the First Amendment into unlawful conduct.

In contrast, protesters in Minneapolis have said their constitutional rights are being violated amid the Trump administration's aggressive federal immigration crackdown.

The former CNN anchor was arrested just before midnight in Los Angeles after reporting for the upcoming Grammy Awards. He is being charged with impeding people's right to worship, which The Blast notes is reportedly a violation of federal law.

A social media uproar started as news of his arrest made headlines. A user stated that this was a case of misplaced priorities on the part of the government.

They cited that no arrests have been made of the ICE officials who recently shot and killed U.S. citizens Renée Good, Keith Porter, and Alex Pretti, but Don Lemon was quickly arrested "because of his journalism."

Another commenter expressed surprise at the recent development, writing, "Don Lemon, arrested for covering a protest as a journalist. Wow…" While another simply wrote that Lemon's arrest was not good.

Lemon's attorney's statement also covered that the government was channeling energy into the wrong places. It read:

"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."

Deadline shared an update on Lemon's case, as he is set to appear before a federal judge for "conspiracy to Deprive Rights, and forcefully interfering in someone's First Amendment rights."

If the case does not go in his favor, the former CNN anchor could face fines and up to ten years behind bars on the first charge and more than a year on the second charge if it is prosecuted as a misdemeanor violation.

Reportedly, there is no concrete information from the authorities as to where exactly Lemon is being held. The L.A. police and the sheriff's department claim they do not know where the journalist is being held.

However, sources close to the journalist share that he is in a federal facility in DTLA and will most likely be scheduled for a straightforward arraignment.

The White House's official account made a post on X mocking Lemon's latest predicament, writing "when life gives you lemons…" attached to a photo announcing his arrest.

Many members of the online audience condemned the act, including Bernice King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, calling it full of immaturity, poor taste, and fascism.

A day after Lemon covered the protest at the church, Trump made a move that showed that the reporters' actions were not in his good graces. Many called for the journalist to be punished, including popular rapper Nicki Minaj, claiming that his actions were insensitive and illegal.

Trump gave his two cents on social media via his Truth Social Platform by reposting a post that stated that the reporter's actions violated the FACE Act.

The poster with the name "MoniFunGirl" played the narrative that a group of elderly women protested at an abortion clinic and were sentenced to 40 years in prison to prove their point.

Trump also spoke against the protesters, writing that they were agitators and insurrectionists. As reported by The Blast, he claimed that they were acting like professionals trained to rant and rave like lunatics, stressing that they should be thrown in jail or kicked out of the country for their behavior.

Will Don Lemon be acquitted of these charges?