Don Lemon Chain Gang Expands: Two More Commie Agitators Arrested!

Federal agents have arrested seven individuals, including former CNN host Don Lemon, for storming a Minnesota church during Sunday worship in what prosecutors describe as a coordinated attack that terrorized children and blocked parents from accessing childcare areas.

Story Snapshot

Thirty to forty anti-ICE protesters disrupted worship at Cities Church in St. Paul on January 18, 2026, targeting a pastor alleged to be an ICE field office director
Don Lemon livestreamed the church invasion on YouTube while interviewing protest leaders, later claiming First Amendment protections when arrested February 5
Federal charges under the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act target seven defendants for conspiracy to deprive worshippers of civil rights
The confrontation follows deadly ICE shootings in Minneapolis that killed two individuals linked to anti-enforcement activism
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the arrests as part of expanded prosecutions against what officials call targeted harassment of law enforcement personnel

When Protest Crosses the Sanctuary Threshold

The January 18 service at Cities Church was forty minutes underway when chaos erupted. Witnesses described thirty to forty protesters flooding the sanctuary, chanting “ICE out” and demanding the congregation confront Pastor David Easterwood about his alleged role as acting director of the St. Paul ICE field office. Federal affidavits detail protesters blocking exit doors and stairwells leading to childcare areas while parents frantically attempted to reach frightened children. One parishioner sustained injuries. The disruption transformed a house of worship into a confrontation zone, raising questions about where legitimate protest ends and criminal interference begins.

The Lemon Factor and Media Entanglement

Don Lemon’s presence at the church disruption complicates the traditional boundaries between journalism and activism. The former CNN anchor livestreamed the event on YouTube, conducting interviews with protest leader Nekima Levy Armstrong and others while the chaos unfolded around him. When federal agents arrested Lemon in Los Angeles on February 5 during Grammy Awards coverage, his attorney Abbe Lowell immediately invoked First Amendment protections, framing Lemon’s actions as “shining light on truth.” Yet prosecutors argue his participation crossed into coordinating what they characterize as an organized assault on constitutional rights to worship freely.

The ICE Enforcement Backdrop Fueling Rage

Understanding the church invasion requires examining the violent confrontations preceding it. On January 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good during an immigration enforcement operation after her SUV allegedly impeded arrests. Seventeen days later, Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, who carried a concealed carry permit and had prior confrontations with ICE. Operation Metro Surge, the federal enforcement initiative in the Twin Cities, has produced over two thousand arrests since early 2026. Activists describe these operations as barbaric government overreach. Federal officials counter that Good and Pretti physically resisted lawful operations, forcing deadly responses. These shootings ignited the powder keg that exploded inside Cities Church.

Targeting the Dual Role Pastor

Pastor David Easterwood occupies a unique position that made his church a focal point. His profile matches the acting ICE St. Paul field office director who appeared publicly with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Protesters argue this dual role as spiritual leader and immigration enforcer creates moral hypocrisy deserving confrontation. Armstrong, herself an ordained reverend and civil rights attorney, called for theology checks regarding harboring ICE leadership. Yet targeting worshippers to confront one individual raises serious civil rights concerns. Churches serve as sanctuaries for communal faith, not arenas for settling grievances with government employees who happen to pastor congregations.

Federal Crackdown Under Reconstruction Era Law

Attorney General Pam Bondi deployed the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act to prosecute the seven defendants, a statute originally designed to combat violent suppression of civil rights. Charges include conspiracy to deprive worshippers of their constitutional rights to free exercise of religion. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon investigates potential violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, originally intended to protect abortion clinic access but applicable to houses of worship. The federal response signals zero tolerance for coordinated disruptions targeting religious communities, regardless of activist motivations regarding immigration policy.

The Expanding Arrest Web

Beyond Lemon, federal agents arrested Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy on February 5, expanding prosecutions beyond the initial January 22 arrests of Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly. Allen serves on the St. Paul School Board, illustrating how community leaders became entangled in criminal charges. Kelly worked as a videographer documenting the action. A federal magistrate initially declined to charge Lemon, but prosecutors proceeded anyway, suggesting confidence in evidence of coordination rather than passive observation. Each defendant faces the tension between viewing their actions as righteous accountability versus federal characterization of terrorizing families at prayer.

The Chilling Effect on Both Sides

The legal aftermath creates reverberations across multiple domains. Churches now consider enhanced security during services, fundamentally altering the open, welcoming atmosphere central to worship culture. Parishioners describe ongoing trauma, particularly among children who witnessed adults screaming and blocking their parents. Simultaneously, activists face federal prosecution carrying significant prison time for protest tactics they considered necessary civil disobedience. Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty called the prosecution misguided, arguing the real atrocities involve ICE operations killing community members. This clash of fundamental rights worship freedom versus accountability for government actions defines the broader stakes beyond individual prosecutions.