Pastor of Cities Church Speaks Out After Don Lemon's Arrest

Jonathan Parnell, senior pastor of Cities Church in St. Paul, welcomed decisive action from the Department of Justice after it announced Friday that former CNN host Don Lemon had been taken into federal custody following a disruption of the church’s worship service earlier this month.

Lemon was identified as one of several anti–immigration enforcement activists who interrupted Sunday worship on Jan. 18, shouting slogans such as “ICE out!” and “Justice for Renee Good,” bringing the service to a halt and confronting congregants during prayer and preaching.

“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” Parnell said in a statement.

Attorneys representing Cities Church through True North Legal echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the constitutional stakes involved in the case.

“The freedom to worship God without fear of violence and intimidation is a fundamental right that defines who we are as Americans. True North Legal and Cities Church are grateful that the Department of Justice is committed to upholding that freedom and is holding the agitators who invaded the church accountable,” attorneys Renee Carlson and Doug Wardlow said.

Video from the incident shows Parnell directly confronting Lemon inside the sanctuary, telling him, “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.”

Lemon responded by invoking constitutional protections, stating, “There’s a Constitution and a First Amendment to [allow] freedom of speech and freedom to assemble in protest.”

Parnell pushed back, making clear the purpose of the gathering. “We’re here to worship Jesus, because that’s the hope of these cities, that’s the hope of the world, is Jesus Christ,” he said, before asking Lemon to leave the building.

Protesters later claimed they targeted the church because David Easterwood, who leads a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, serves as an assistant pastor at Cities Church. However, ABC News reported that Easterwood was not leading the worship service that day and it was unclear whether he was even present during the Jan. 18 incident.

Federal agents arrested Lemon on Thursday night in Los Angeles, where he was reportedly covering the Grammy Awards.

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement defending his client’s actions. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said.

“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” he added.

Calling the arrest politically motivated, Lowell continued, “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests in a public post, stating, “At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

While Lemon’s defense has centered on press freedoms, legal experts and administration officials have stressed that the First Amendment also explicitly protects the free exercise of religion — a right that does not disappear at the doors of a church.

The day after the disruption, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon addressed the incident during an interview with conservative podcast host Benny Johnson, signaling serious legal consequences for those involved.

“We will pursue charges in this case,” Dhillon said. “Exactly what they are, I’m not going to flag, but the FACE Act has been mentioned as one of the predicates there.”

The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, often cited in abortion-related cases, also makes it a federal crime to “intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”

Dhillon also pointed to the Ku Klux Klan Act, which she said makes it illegal “to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens.”

The case has reignited a broader national debate over selective enforcement of civil rights laws, the weaponization of protest, and whether left-wing activists are being held to the same legal standards long applied to others.