Press freedom groups have condemned the arrest of a former CNN anchor, with lawyers promising to “vigorously” fight the charges.

Reporter Don Lemon arrested for reporting be opposed to Opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadly immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Lemon’s attorney, Abe Lowell, said Friday that the journalist was arrested in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards.

It’s unclear what charges Lemon faces. In recent weeks, however, the Justice Department has said it would target Lemon for participating in a Jan. 18 protest when demonstrators disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis is no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement.

He pointed out that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of the press.

“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists, whose role is to expose the truth and hold those in power accountable,” Lowell said. “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrest on Friday, saying Lemon was detained along with three others in connection with a “coordinated attack on a city church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

Lemon was part of a series of arrests that morning, all related to church demonstrations. They include independent journalist Georgia Ford, and activists Jamel Leder Lundy and Traherne Jean Crews.

Federal authorities previously arrested Minneapolis civil rights attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong and two others in connection with the protests.

Press freedom groups quickly condemned the action, which they called a major escalation in the government’s attacks on journalists.

“The clear message is that journalists must proceed with caution because the government is looking for any way to target them,” Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement.

The National Press Club also condemned the arrests in a statement. “The arrest or detention of journalists for covering protests, public events, or government actions poses a serious threat to press freedom and can lead to chilling coverage across the country,” the report reads.

Lemon previously served as an anchor at CNN News Network but was fired in 2023. He then rose to prominence on YouTube as an independent journalist.

“I’m here as a journalist”

While covering church protests online, Lemon repeatedly identified herself as a journalist while interviewing demonstrators and church attendees.

“I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist,” he told those present.

Protesters targeted the Southern Baptist church because of its pastor, David Easterwood, who also serves as the head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office.

Critics question why the Justice Department quickly opened an investigation into church protests but declined to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of a man by ICE agents Renee Nicole Goode January 7 in Minneapolis.

The department has not yet said whether it will open an investigation into the killing of a U.S. citizen on Jan. 24 Alex Pretty Minneapolis Border Patrol agent.

“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department devoted its time, attention and resources to this arrest, which is a true prosecution of misconduct in this case,” Lowell said in a statement.

Friday’s arrest came after a federal judge in Minnesota last week made a rare refusal to sign an arrest warrant for Lemon. Nonetheless, Justice Department officials pledged to continue pursuing the charges.