January 19, 2026
The former CNN anchor faces backlash from MAGA activists following a livestreamed protest at a St. Paul church.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is facing calls for his arrest and a federal investigation after participating in livestream coverage of a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, drawing swift condemnation from conservative activists and senior Trump administration officials.
The incident occurred Jan 18 at Cities Church, where demonstrators entered during worship services to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota. Protesters also demanded justice for Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot earlier this month by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis.
Lemon, now an independent journalist, was livestreaming while interviewing protesters outside the church before following them inside as chants of “ICE out” echoed through the sanctuary. Demonstrators accused church leadership of cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
“This will not stand,” protest organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong told Lemon ahead of the disruption. “They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is commanding ICE agents to terrorize our communities.”
Instagram user rissasofar added context to the church protest. She stated in an Instagram video that the Minnesota protesters “went to the church to shut down its service because they discovered that one of its lead pastors, David Easterwood, is actually an ICE agent.”
The Instagram user stated, “We’ve got thousands and hundreds and thousands of people that we can ask that right now as ICE agents continue to violate the laws and break into their homes and start yelling at them and then, you know, kidnapping them and stuff. But I digress. Don, thank you so much for the incredible work that you’re doing, for all the boots-on-the-ground journalism that you’re doing. Minnesota, we see you. We are so proud of you. Keep your foot on their necks. Flip those tables. Hold everyone accountable. Spread the story. Spread the news.”
The protest prompted many worshippers to leave the building. One congregant expressed anger over the disruption, saying, “These people have come into our house, and they’ve interrupted our worship. Everybody’s gone home, their point has been proven worthless, and so, in the end, I think they lose. I feel violated, I feel interrupted, I feel angry.”
Lemon also spoke briefly with one of the church’s pastors, who said the protesters had refused to engage in dialogue.
“No one is willing to talk. I have to take care of my church and my family,” the pastor said, asking Lemon to leave.
The outspoken journalist noted that police officers remained outside the church but did not intervene.
Video clips of the incident circulated widely online, fueling outrage among conservative commentators. The MAGA Voice account called for Lemon to be investigated by the FBI and Department of Justice, while influencer Benny Johnson claimed the journalist’s actions amounted to “not just an obscene violation of the FACE Act — it’s likely a hate crime.”
Johnson and others referenced the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which makes it a federal crime to use force, intimidation, or obstruction at reproductive health facilities and places of worship. Right-wing figures, including Matt Walsh, Will Chamberlain, and Baptist minister Paul Chappell, echoed similar calls.
“We condemn the actions of Don Lemon and the group of activists who stormed Cities Church today in St Paul, Minnesota, in clear violation of the FACE Act,” Chappell wrote. “Christians everywhere should demand that the Department of Justice arrest those who participated.”
She continued to comment on the protest’s dissenters, particularly one man who asked Lemon, “How would you like it if I went into your house and started yelling?”
The Trump administration has since acknowledged the incident. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon shared footage of the protest and announced that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division was “investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi later added, “I just spoke to the pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”
She warned that if state officials fail to act, the DOJ “will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced that message, stating, “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.”
Not all officials shared that view. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, publicly thanked Lemon earlier that day for “being on the ground in Minnesota to help lift up this fight for truth and fairness,” underscoring sharp divisions between federal and local leaders.
The protest unfolded amid heightened tensions in Minnesota after Trump deployed 3,000 ICE agents as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Demonstrations intensified following Good’s killing, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey demanding federal agents “get the f*** out of Minneapolis.” Trump has since threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, while Gov. Tim Walz has placed the National Guard on standby.
