The arrest of journalist Georgia Fort by federal agents unfolded live on social media early Tuesday, fueling fresh outrage over what press advocates describe as a widening crackdown on reporters covering protests tied to immigration enforcement.
Fort was taken into custody around 6:30 a.m. after FBI agents arrived at her home with an arrest warrant related to a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The demonstration, which Fort filmed as a member of the press, interrupted a church service as protesters chanted “ICE OUT” in opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Speaking directly to viewers during the livestream, Fort said agents told her the warrant had been issued by a grand jury.
“I wanted to alert the public that agents are at my door right now,” she said. “My children are here, they are impacted by this. This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media.”
Fort said she believed her constitutional rights were being violated. “We are supposed to have our constitutional right of the freedom to film, to be a member of the press,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now federal agents are at my door for filming the church protest a few weeks ago.”
The protest targeted Cities Church because its pastor, David Easterwood, also heads an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in the state. Anger over ICE’s presence intensified after Renee Good, a local mother of three, was shot and killed earlier this month during a federal enforcement operation. Protesters repeatedly shouted “Justice for Renee Good” during the church disruption.
Fort’s arrest came the same day federal authorities detained Don Lemon, along with journalists Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the same protest. Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests on social media, saying they were tied to what she called a “coordinated attack” on the church. Her statement drew immediate backlash from press freedom groups and civil rights advocates.
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his client was lawfully reporting. “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, adding that Lemon would fight the charges.
The protest also triggered sharp reactions from religious leaders. Kevin Ezell condemned the disruption as an attack on a sacred space, while Trey Turner urged both compassion for migrant families and protection of houses of worship.
