Former Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the arrest of journalist Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort, warning Americans framing it as an attack on press freedoms and the First Amendment under the Trump administration.
“The First Amendment is a foundational promise to every American: Each of us has the freedom to speak, to report, and to hold those in power accountable without fear of retribution or retaliation,” Harris stated. “Today, Donald Trump and his administration are once again trampling on our rights and our freedoms. Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were fulfilling their duty to the American people to report and inform, and they have been arrested for it. Donald Trump continues to consolidate power and show a flagrant disregard for the rule of law. This arrest is another affront to our rights and freedoms and should alarm and enrage us.”
The First Amendment is a foundational promise to every American: Each of us has the freedom to speak, to report, and to hold those in power accountable without fear of retribution or retaliation.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 30, 2026
Today, Donald Trump and his administration are once again trampling on our rights…
The arrests occurred on January 29 and 30, 2026, following a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators disrupted a service to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, including actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of the church’s pastors was reported to be an ICE official. Lemon, a former CNN anchor now working as an independent journalist with his own online platform, and Fort, a Minnesota-based Emmy-winning journalist, were on site covering the event. Federal authorities charged them, along with two others, with offenses including conspiracy to deprive rights and violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, alleging interference with congregants’ constitutional rights to worship.
Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles while preparing to cover the Grammy Awards. He appeared in federal court there on January 30 and was released without bail. His attorney described the charges as an unprecedented attack on press freedoms. Fort was arrested in Minnesota, and she livestreamed federal agents arriving at her home. Both journalists have maintained they were present solely to report on the protest.
The incident has drawn attention amid broader tensions over immigration enforcement under the current administration, including recent fatal shootings of protesters by federal agents in Minnesota that sparked widespread demonstrations. Critics, including press freedom advocates, have questioned the application of the charges to journalistic activity, noting that earlier attempts to secure arrest warrants were rejected by federal judges who found insufficient evidence of criminal conduct by the reporters.
Harris, who served as vice president from 2021 to 2025 and previously as California attorney general and U.S. senator, has long advocated for protections of civil liberties, including strong support for press freedom and opposition to what she views as overreach in law enforcement tactics. During her tenure, she emphasized accountability in policing and federal operations, often criticizing aggressive approaches to dissent or protests as threats to constitutional rights. She has consistently positioned herself against policies and actions she sees as consolidating executive power at the expense of democratic norms, including those related to immigration enforcement and treatment of journalists covering sensitive issues.
Harris's Eerie 2024 Warning Resurfaces: Trump 'Intends to Use Military Against American Citizens' pic.twitter.com/IeMtQjHMbX
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) January 10, 2026
The case remains ongoing, with Lemon’s next court appearance scheduled in Minneapolis. It underscores ongoing debates over the balance between law enforcement priorities and protections for free speech and press in a period of heightened political polarization around immigration and protest rights.
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