MAGA Callafor Investigation of Don Lemon After ICE Protest In Minnesota Church Service

[ad_1] by Mary Spiller January 19, 2026

The previous CNN anchor faces backlash from MAGA activists following a livestreamed protest at a St. Paul church.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is going through requires his arrest and a federal investigation after taking part in livestream protection of a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, drawing swift condemnation from conservative activists and senior Trump administration officers.

The incident occurred Jan 18 at Cities Church, the place demonstrators entered throughout worship providers to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers in Minnesota. Protesters additionally demanded justice for Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mom of three who was fatally shot earlier this month by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis.

Lemon, now an impartial journalist, was livestreaming whereas interviewing protesters exterior the church earlier than following them inside as chants of “ICE out” echoed by way of the sanctuary. Demonstrators accused church management of cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

“This won't stand,” protest organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong informed Lemon forward of the disruption. “They can not faux to be a home of God whereas harboring somebody who's commanding ICE brokers to terrorize our communities.”

Instagram consumer rissasofar added context to the church protest. She acknowledged in an Instagram video that the Minnesota protesters “went to the church to close down its service as a result of they found that considered one of its lead pastors, David Easterwood, is definitely an ICE agent.”

The Instagram consumer acknowledged, “We’ve bought hundreds and a whole bunch and hundreds of those who we are able to ask that proper now as ICE brokers proceed to violate the legal guidelines and break into their houses and begin yelling at them after which, you already know, kidnapping them and stuff. However I digress. Don, thanks a lot for the unbelievable work that you simply’re doing, for all of the boots-on-the-ground journalism that you simply’re doing. Minnesota, we see you. We're so happy with you. Preserve your foot on their necks. Flip these tables. Maintain everybody accountable. Unfold the story. Unfold the information.”

The protest prompted many worshippers to depart the constructing. One congregant expressed anger over the disruption, saying, “These individuals have come into our home, and so they’ve interrupted our worship. Everyone’s gone residence, their level has been confirmed nugatory, and so, in the long run, I believe they lose. I really feel violated, I really feel interrupted, I really feel indignant.”

Lemon additionally spoke briefly with one of many church’s pastors, who stated the protesters had refused to have interaction in dialogue.

“Nobody is prepared to speak. I've to handle my church and my household,” the pastor stated, asking Lemon to depart.

The outspoken journalist famous that law enforcement officials remained exterior the church however didn't intervene.

Video clips of the incident circulated broadly on-line, fueling outrage amongst conservative commentators. The MAGA Voice account referred to as for Lemon to be investigated by the FBI and Division of Justice, whereas influencer Benny Johnson claimed the journalist’s actions amounted to “not simply an obscene violation of the FACE Act — it’s probably a hate crime.”

Johnson and others referenced the Freedom of Entry to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which makes it a federal crime to make use of drive, intimidation, or obstruction at reproductive well being amenities and locations of worship. Proper-wing figures, together with Matt Walsh, Will Chamberlain, and Baptist minister Paul Chappell, echoed comparable calls.

“We condemn the actions of Don Lemon and the group of activists who stormed Cities Church immediately in St Paul, Minnesota, in clear violation of the FACE Act,” Chappell wrote. “Christians in every single place ought to demand that the Division of Justice arrest those that participated.”

She continued to touch upon the protest’s dissenters, notably one man who requested Lemon, “How would you prefer it if I went into your own home and began yelling?”

The Trump administration has since acknowledged the incident. Assistant Lawyer Basic Harmeet Dhillon shared footage of the protest and introduced that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division was “investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these individuals desecrating a home of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi later added, “I simply spoke to the pastor in Minnesota whose church was focused. Assaults towards regulation enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the total drive of federal regulation.”

She warned that if state officers fail to behave, the DOJ “will stay mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and be certain that the rule of regulation prevails.”

White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt bolstered that message, stating, “President Trump won't tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians of their sacred locations of worship.”

Not all officers shared that view. Minnesota Lawyer Basic Keith Ellison, a Democrat, publicly thanked Lemon earlier that day for “being on the bottom in Minnesota to assist carry up this combat for reality and equity,” underscoring sharp divisions between federal and native leaders.

The protest unfolded amid heightened tensions in Minnesota after Trump deployed 3,000 ICE brokers as a part of a broader immigration crackdown. Demonstrations intensified following Good’s killing, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey demanding federal brokers “get the f*** out of Minneapolis.” Trump has since threatened to invoke the Riot Act, whereas Gov. Tim Walz has positioned the Nationwide Guard on standby.