DOJ arrests journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort covering anti-ICE church protest

Federal authorities arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort on January 30, 2026, charging them with conspiracy against rights of religious freedom in connection with their coverage of a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18. The DOJ cited the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act against journalists who said they were present to report on demonstrators who entered the church to confront a pastor serving as acting ICE field director. Fort was arrested at 6 a.m. at her home as her three daughters watched, surrounded by nearly two dozen federal agents.