On January 29, 2026 former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles in connection with his presence at a disruptive protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators targeted a pastor alleged to have ties to ICE. Federal prosecutors say Lemon was not merely observing but joined a coordinated action that interrupted worship, and the arrest marks a dramatic escalation in a case that has divided the country.
The Justice Department obtained an indictment charging Lemon and others with conspiracy against rights — a felony — and with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances statute, which prosecutors say protects people’s right to worship without intimidation. These are serious federal counts that could carry significant penalties if proven in court, and Lemon is due to answer them at an arraignment scheduled for February 9, 2026.
For patriotic Americans this moment exposes two as-yet-unresolved problems: the weaponization of journalism when media figures cross the line into activism, and the selective outrage that protects mobs when they target churches. Plenty of Americans watched the livestreams and saw what felt like a political hit on a house of worship, and they rightly expect prosecutors to act when religious liberty is threatened.
President Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to get a grip on Operation Metro Surge, and Homan said he would remain on the ground “until the problem is gone” while working on a plan to draw down federal forces only when cooperation from state and county officials is secured. The administration’s move to put an experienced law-enforcement hand in charge was the right call to restore order, ensure safety, and recalibrate enforcement after chaotic reports from the field.
On Newsmax’s The Count, former Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek and former ICE agent Tim Miller rightly pushed back against the media narrative and praised the federal response. They warned that when reporters adopt protester roles the line between coverage and complicity is blurred, and they urged prosecutors to hold accountable anyone who helped orchestrate an attack on a place of worship. Their common-sense perspective is what Americans should expect from public servants who believe in law, order, and protecting congregations.
Critics will howl about press freedom, but the question here is simple: does the First Amendment protect joining a takeover that terrorizes worshippers? Meanwhile, Tom Homan’s presence in Minnesota was prompted by real problems on the ground, including deadly outcomes that demanded a federal response and a reassessment of tactics so enforcement protects citizens first and foremost.
This isn’t a moment for moral equivocation. Conservatives should stand up for churches, support law enforcement that operates by the book, and reject the double standard that excuses political violence when it suits the left’s agenda. The courts will sort the legal issues in the coming weeks, but in the meantime Americans deserve leaders who defend religious liberty, public safety, and the rule of law.
