Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents Friday evening in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell.
Lemon was in Los Angeles on assignment in connection with Grammy Awards coverage scheduled for Sunday. Details regarding the specific charges he faces were not immediately available.
The arrest follows weeks of legal tension between Lemon and the U.S. Department of Justice, which has sought to pursue charges tied to Lemon’s coverage of an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church earlier this month. A federal magistrate judge and an appeals court had previously rejected the DOJ’s attempt to bring a criminal complaint against the journalist, though Lemon has said he expected continued efforts by the department.
Lowell criticized the arrest as a direct challenge to press freedoms, stating, “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.” He added that Lemon “will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
The DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lemon was live streaming a protest on Jan. 18 inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators interrupted a worship service while alleging that one of the church’s pastors worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lemon has repeatedly stated that he had no affiliation with the protest organizers and was present solely in a reporting capacity.
“I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist,” Lemon said during the livestream.
The arrest comes amid heightened concerns over press freedoms. Earlier this month, federal agents executed a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for The Washington Post, seizing her electronic devices. Although Natanson was not the target of the investigation, the newspaper filed suit seeking the return of her reporting materials.
At the time of the Minnesota protest, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned Lemon on social media that the First Amendment did not protect what she described as disrupting a prayer service. Former President Donald Trump later amplified calls for Lemon’s arrest on Truth Social.
CNN reported that Lemon is expected to make an initial court appearance Friday.
More details are expected as the case develops.