1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my alarm and outrage over the federal arrest of journalist Don Lemon on Thursday night in Los Angeles. This arrest represents a dangerous escalation in attacks on press freedom and raises profound constitutional concerns that demand immediate congressional oversight. On January 18, Lemon was covering anti-ICE protests at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota, live-streaming the demonstration for his independent news program. Throughout the incident, footage shows him repeatedly stating he was there as a journalist and was unaffiliated with the demonstrators. Despite this, federal agents arrested him weeks later while he was covering the Grammy Awards. He now faces potential charges related to conspiring to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedom, charges initially rejected by a magistrate judge who approved warrants for only three other individuals, excluding Lemon. This prosecution is particularly troubling given the administration's apparent celebration of the arrest. The White House posted a mocking image of Lemon on its official account with chain link emojis, while DOJ Civil Rights Division official Harmeet Dhillon vowed to pursue this case to the ends of the Earth. Such rhetoric suggests this is not about upholding the law but about targeting a specific journalist. As a gay Black American journalist who has been critical of this administration, Lemon appears to be facing selective prosecution designed to intimidate the press. This follows another disturbing incident on January 14 when the FBI raided a Washington Post journalist's home and seized her devices. These actions create a chilling effect on journalism at a time when reporters must be free to cover immigration enforcement operations that have already resulted in the deaths of two US citizens in Minnesota, including Renee Good, a mother of three. I urge you to demand immediate hearings on these arrests, call for the charges against Lemon to be dropped, and introduce legislation protecting journalists from prosecution for newsgathering activities. Press freedom is not negotiable.