Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has found himself at the centre of a fierce legal and political storm involving the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The controversy stems from his decision to livestream a protest inside a church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident has led to threats of federal charges under historic civil rights laws, raising questions about the boundary between journalism and activism.
The situation unfolded on Sunday, 18 January 2026, at Cities Church in St. Paul. Lemon, who now operates as an independent journalist on social media platforms, was in Minnesota to report on rising tensions regarding immigration enforcement. He was specifically covering the aftermath of the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was allegedly shot and killed earlier this month by an ICE agent named Jonathan Ross.
