Don Lemon, the Authoritarian State, and the End of Dissent as We Knew It

The arrest of journalist Don Lemon in connection with an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota is not just another example of reactionary abuse of power by the Trump administration; it is a warning. It is a sign that the structural safeguards that were supposedly the foundation of this country are eroding, if not already gone.

It is arguable whether these so-called “checks and balances” were ever universally respected. When it comes to civil rights and liberties, we all know this country’s racist and genocidal history. The United States was born out of the abuse of human rights — that fact is not really up for debate. However, we were also taught that the press serves as a fourth estate, and that freedom of speech, expression, and religion were codified in the First Amendment for one core reason: to speak truth to power and protect citizens from government overreach.

Lemon was present on January 19, 2026, at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest targeted David Easterwood, a co-pastor of the church and a field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protest was organized in the wake of the killing of Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross.

Lemon was there in a journalistic capacity, moving through the scene live-streaming, filming demonstrators, and having conversations with the protesters—documenting the moment exactly as journalists are called to do.

A federal magistrate judge initially agreed with Lemon’s attorneys that his presence was journalistic in nature and protected under the First Amendment. But rather than respecting that ruling, senior officials at the Department of Justice vowed to continue pursuing charges, reframing Lemon’s reporting as “participation” in the protest. His subsequent arrest — after a judge explicitly refused to authorize charges — signals a dangerous new threshold for press freedom.

This is where the real danger lies.

Be clear: Don Lemon is not a fringe or anti-establishment figure. For years, he built his career as a liberal-leaning centrist on CNN, operating well within the safely bounded corridors of establishment media. During the Bush and Obama years, much of that media class — Lemon’s former employer included — was complicit in normalizing the War on Terror, expanded surveillance, and the growth of federal policing powers. These mechanisms of control were justified in the name of national security.

Leftists and progressives warned at the time that these tools would eventually be turned against anyone left of center — a historical lesson we have seen play out repeatedly. The Biden-Harris administration likewise used its power to crack down on criticism of the Israeli government’s violent and genocidal actions in Gaza. They were warned that this would set a dangerous precedent — one that would be used against the left and would likely cost Democrats the election, which it ultimately did.

Now, with the Trump administration’s naked use of this apparatus to criminalize dissent and intimidate the press, liberals are outraged — and rightly so.

This should terrify anyone who believes in civil liberties.

Leftists, libertarians, conservatives, socialists — everyone should be paying attention. In recent weeks, federal agents have killed U.S. citizens, most prominently Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis — both shot dead by immigration enforcement personnel during separate incidents earlier this month. The Department of Justice has so far refused to conduct a truly independent investigation into these killings.

Despite widespread video evidence and mounting calls from state legislators and local officials for accountability and transparency, federal authorities have blocked state involvement and resisted civil-rights inquiries into the deaths.

I would be remiss not to mention the death of Keith Porter Jr. in Los Angeles, who was killed by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve. Defenders of ICE point out that Porter was armed at the time of the encounter. However, ICE’s mandate — even under this administration — does not grant it local law-enforcement authority. While firing a gun into the air may constitute a criminal offense in Los Angeles, the ICE agent had no jurisdiction in this instance and reportedly failed to identify himself as law enforcement. This represents the critical issue of ICE’s unchecked overreach in our communities.

Minnesota, ground zero:

Returning to Minnesota and the killing of Renee Good: the FBI was effectively sidelined, key investigators resigned under pressure, and prosecutors were discouraged from pursuing charges. In Pretti’s case, despite disturbing footage showing him on his knees before being shot in the back, federal authorities have withheld meaningful cooperation with state officials.

Prosecutors in Minneapolis have expressed deep frustration with the Justice Department’s priorities, warning that the lack of meaningful investigation undermines both justice and public trust in the rule of law. Instead, the DOJ has focused its efforts on investigating Renee Good, her widow, and Alex Pretti’s background — implying they were domestic terrorists.

The contrast could not be more stark:

Journalists covering a protest are treated as criminals, while the deaths of American citizens at the hands of federal agents go largely unexplored and unprosecuted.

The silence from much of the Democratic political establishment has been deafening. Many Democratic leaders — who spent decades accommodating expanded executive power and surveillance — have offered only tepid responses. Their incrementalism and institutional loyalty helped create the conditions that made this moment possible.

We are living in dangerous times:

Don Lemon has long been a problematic figure in many respects. However, if someone as establishment-adjacent as Lemon can be targeted simply for documenting a protest, then no journalist, no reporter, and no independent voice is safe. Notably, the protest organizers were arrested just days earlier.

This is how a “new normal” takes shape: first as an exception, then as a precedent, and finally as policy.

Once the arrest of protesters and journalists becomes routine, dissent itself becomes impossible. If we accept a government that routinely punishes those who bear witness, then we have already lost everything.