1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to publicly condemn the arrest of journalist Don Lemon and take immediate action to protect press freedom in our country. On Thursday night, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Lemon in Beverly Hills while he was covering the Grammy Awards. This arrest stems from his reporting on a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against Lemon and three others under the FACE Act, despite a federal magistrate judge previously rejecting a criminal complaint against him. This is particularly troubling given that three earlier protesters arrested at the same event were released after a federal judge found the Trump administration offered "no factual or legal support" to justify two of the arrests. The selective prosecution of a journalist covering these events represents a dangerous escalation. Lemon was reporting on protests that emerged after federal immigration authorities shot and killed two U.S. citizens during Operation Metro Surge, Renee Good, 37, and Alex Pretti, 37. The Department of Homeland Security deployed 3,000 federal immigration agents to the Twin Cities over two months, resulting in more than 3,000 arrests. The community responded with daily protests, and Lemon was documenting this story when he entered the church whose pastor, David Easterwood, allegedly works as the acting director of an ICE field office in St. Paul. The Committee to Protect Journalists stated this arrest "should alarm all Americans," and CNN expressed that it "raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the First Amendment." Democratic nations do not arrest journalists for covering protests and holding power accountable. I urge you to speak out against this arrest, demand that charges be dropped, and support legislation that protects journalists from prosecution for newsgathering activities. Press freedom is fundamental to our democracy, and silence in the face of this abuse sets a dangerous precedent.