MINNEAPOLIS — Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested Thursday night and Friday morning, respectively, in connection with a protest at a church led by local activists against immigration enforcement.
A social media post from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said two others were also arrested, including Trahern Crews, a former candidate for St. Paul mayor and the state House of Representatives, as well as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and Jamael Lundy, a lobbyist for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and current DFL candidate for Minnesota Senate District 65.
At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
More details soon.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 30, 2026
Minnesota’s journalism community spoke out against their arrests shortly after they had been announced, both in a statement and press conference.
“We strongly condemn the arrest of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon, as well as any attempt to intimidate members of the press,” the statement read.
Vice President of The Center for Broadcast Journalism Harry Colbert Jr., spoke Friday at a press conference, saying, “Georgia Fort is in federal custody for doing her job.”
“And if we leave here with anything today, let’s leave here making sure that the main thing stays — the main thing: Journalism is under attack. The First Amendment is under attack, and democracy is crumbling if we allow this to happen. … If we don’t speak up in the loudest voice, all of our so-called freedoms, our illusion of freedom, goes away.”
Journalist Leslie Redmond echoed Colbert Jr., proclaiming, “We are under attack.”
“We are being targeted — and it’s not just individuals. Our democracy is under attack. Our Constitution is under attack. This is not a joke; this is not a drill; and I want for everybody that’s watching across the nation to know that you are next… Minnesota is holding the line, and we can’t hold it by ourselves.”
Fort’s 17-year-old daughter followed Redmond, calling for her mother’s immediate release.
“My mom is being arrested for documenting what happened at Cities Church, and this is wrong,” she said.
“This goes against her First Amendment right as a journalist, and it’s being challenged today. She is not a protester; she is not an activist. She is a mom working to provide for her children through the only way she knows how: documenting and sharing stories of the community and truth of what’s happening here every day in our state.
“… The separation of families will never be right.”
Rod Adams, executive director of New Justice Project MN asked, “Without the First Amendment, what are we?
“… The question remains: How far will you go to protect the freedom that you have been gifted …?”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the arrests “troubling” in a statement on social media.
Lemon’s former employer, CNN, said his arrest raises “profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment.”
“The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota Federal District Court found there was ’no evidence’ that there was any criminal behavior involved in their work,” the statement read.
“The First Amendment in the United States protects journalists who bear witness to news and events as they unfold, ensuring they can report freely in the public interest, and the DOJ’s attempts to violate those rights is unacceptable. We will be following this case closely.”
A statement released by Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Lemon was taken into custody by federal officers Thursday night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” said Lowell.
“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.
Lemon’s attorney called his arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and a “transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration.”
“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
Independent journalist Georgia Fort filmed the moments before she was taken into custody by federal officers on Friday morning, posting it to Facebook.
KARE reached out to a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney, who said the office is “aware” of Lundy’s arrest.
“Based on the information available to our office, our understanding is that during the arrest, Mr. Lundy was respectful to the arresting agents, informing them of both his familiarity with the process due to his work at the HCAO and stating clearly his intention to not resist the arrest,” the spokesperson said.
“Mr. Lundy has no role in the HCAO’s work related to any state investigation. His position at the office is as a lobbyist to the Minnesota Legislature.”
“As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago and now I’m being arrested for that,” Fort said in her video message. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, Constitutional rights, when we can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”
It remains unclear what charges the defendants will face related to the Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis civil rights attorney and racial justice advocate, was also arrested for her participation in the church protest.
She appeared Thursday evening at a press conference, saying she believes her arrest was the result of “political retaliation.”
“This is not only an immigration fight, this is a fight for police accountability,” she said. “This is a fight for racial justice. This is a fight for our constitutional rights, and we must not forget that.”