Journalist Don Lemon was accused of federal civil rights violations after covering a protest against ICE at a church

Los ángeles .— Journalist Don Lemon was released on Friday after being arrested and charged with violating civil rights at the federal level for his coverage of a protest against immigration that disrupted a service in a Minnesota church. Lemon was arrested overnight in Los Angeles, while another independent journalist and two protesters were arrested in Minnesota. He adopted a confident and defiant tone when speaking to the press after appearing before a court in California, declaring: "They will not silence me." "I've dedicated my entire career to covering news. I'm not going to stop now," Lemon said. "In fact, there's no more important time than now, this very instant, for free and independent media to shed light on the truth and hold those in power accountable."

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The arrests drew harsh criticism from media advocates and civil rights activists, including Reverend Al Sharpton, who said that President Donald Trump's administration is delivering a "blow" to "the knees of the First Amendment." A Minnesota grand jury indicted Lemon and others on charges of conspiracy and interference with the First Amendment rights of the faithful during the January 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor.