The Freedom From Religion Foundation castigates the shocking arrest of journalist Don Lemon and three others in connection with a recent protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn.

Lemon was covering a protest of ICE and, in particular, the church’s pastor, who is an ICE official. The arrest of Lemon, after a federal magistrate judge had already rejected a criminal complaint, raises grave First Amendment concerns. That the Department of Justice pursued him anyway, reportedly out of anger at the court’s decision, underscores the political nature of his arrest and its chilling effect on press freedom and the First Amendment.

“The arrest of one of the nation’s most recognizable journalists, who was simply covering a protest, represents a dangerous escalation of government overreach. It’s an attack on the free press and a misuse of federal law,” say FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. “It’s also an unconstitutional prioritization of certain pastors and religious institutions over the civil liberties of citizens.”

Rather than defending constitutional rights, Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media last week to announce federal arrests and proclaim, “WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP” and “WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.” These public declarations make clear that the administration is extending extraordinary protection to a religious institution while ignoring or actively enabling daily violations of citizens’ rights.

Government resources are being marshaled to shield a church from protest, scrutiny and reporting, even as federal authorities have killed peaceful protesters, terrorized immigrant communities and eroded fundamental civil liberties with little accountability. While protecting houses of worship from violence or credible threats of violence is a legitimate government interest, the rush to invoke federal law to suppress protest and journalism is not. Laws meant to protect individuals are instead being repurposed to privilege powerful religious institutions.

“This case is part of a broader pattern FFRF confronts every day: the government treating churches as uniquely deserving of special protection, deference and insulation from criticism,” adds FFRF Attorney Chris Line. “The First Amendment neither grants houses of worship immunity from protest nor does it permit the government to weaponize federal statutes to suppress speech because it occurs near or within a religious setting.”

FFRF stands firmly for the First Amendment, including its guarantees for the separation of state and church, freedom of the press and the right of citizens to protest government action, including when that protest implicates religious institutions entangled with state power. Selective enforcement that elevates churches while punishing journalists and protesters undermines the Constitution and endangers democratic accountability.

The government’s job is to protect the Constitution — not to act as the enforcement arm of religious privilege at the expense of public accountability and fundamental rights. FFRF calls for the immediate dismissal of unwarranted charges against Lemon.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 42,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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