Two American journalists arrested after covering a protest against ICE
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and reporter Georgia Fort were arrested early Friday morning
WashingtonTwo freelance journalists, former CNN anchor Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, have been arrested after covering A protest against ICE at a church in Saint Paul, MinnesotaBoth reporters were arrested early Friday morning for having a connection to a protest that took place on January 18 at Cities Church. Lemon and Fort had been live-streaming how protesters stormed the church and disrupted the service. First Amendment advocates and civil rights organizations have condemned the arrests and denounced President Donald Trump's attack on press freedom in the United States. This is the most serious attack on the media and freedom of expression since the temporary suspension of the program. Jimmy Fallon, and continues a whole series of coercions against journalistic work carried out by the administration. At the end of last year, the Pentagon emptied of journalists after the government tried to force them to sign new regulations that would prevent them from fulfilling their watchdog role and reduce them to mere mouthpieces. Even the conservative Fox News refused. Now the empty seats in the press area are being filled with influencers Government supporters, like Laura Loomer.
Twenty agents
On Friday morning, Lemon's case was first made public. He was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards. The journalist was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. at the entrance of the Beverly Hills Hotel. More than two dozen agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI arrested him, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the operation. His case is being handled by HSI, a branch of DHS that investigates transnational crimes, including those related to drug and human trafficking. The Justice Department accuses them of having connections to the protests, although recordings of the broadcasts clearly show Lemon and Fort explicitly stating that they were covering the protest. Lemon's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, explained to CNN that he is charged with two federal crimes: conspiring to violate the constitutional rights of others and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with the exercise of the First Amendment right to practice religion. The lawyer denounced the arrest as an "unprecedented attack on the First Amendment" and stated that "this transparent attempt to divert attention from the numerous crises facing this administration will not go unpunished." Lemon, who now has his own show on YouTube and other platforms, is scheduled to appear in court this Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. As for Fort, her family demanded her immediate release at a press conference in Minneapolis. "That's unfair," Fort's teenage daughter tearfully said about her mother's arrest. "She's not a protester. She's not an activist. She's a working mother who takes care of her children the only way she knows how: by documenting and sharing community stories and the truth about what happens every day in our state." Fort recorded the moment federal agents arrived at her home early Friday morning to arrest her, and during the live stream, she also denounced the situation. "That stems from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media," the journalist said before surrendering to the police.
