Spin Cycle: Don Lemon ‘Ain’t Worried’ And DOJ Takes The Heat On ICE

While Democrats move to potentially trigger yet another government shutdown over the Trump’s administration insistence in allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, former CNN host Don Lemon says he “ain’t worried” that his connection to a church-disrupting protest could land him behind bars.

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

Across multiple media outlets, the Trump administration’s continued efforts to apprehend and deport criminal illegal aliens are still front page, above-the-fold news. Flashpoints in areas facing major crackdowns — such as Minneapolis — have resulted in a series of viral narratives that all too often have beaten the truth to the punch.

On Sunday, a week after Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis and just days after Lemon was arrested in connection with a protest at Cities Church, much of the commentary was focused on the Democrats in Congress and whether they would leverage the threat of another government shutdown against funding for the Department of Homeland Security — specifically: ICE.

On ABC’s “This Week,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for extensive reforms within the Department of Homeland Security — including a measure that requires federal agents to not wear masks despite exponential increases in assaults against federal agents and threats against them and their families.

Jeffries also called for judicial warrants to be required for immigration arrests — a move that, by most accounts, would cripple efforts to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens in a timely fashion.

“There would be no more immigration arrests,” a source within Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Daily Wire. “It’s the functional equivalent of getting a warrant before issuing a speeding ticket. It’s the entire reason why ‘administrative’ arrests exist in the first place. If every single illegal alien who is charged with ‘Entry without Inspection’ was treated like a criminal arrest then they would have, among other things, right to counsel provided by the United States would be impossible.”

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) echoed that sentiment on CNN’s “State of the Union, telling CNN anchor Dana Bash, “Demanding judicial warrants is [Democrats’] sneaky way of basically neutering our ability to enforce any immigration laws.”

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson: “Demanding judicial warrants is [Democrats’] sneaky way of basically neutering our ability to enforce any immigration laws.” pic.twitter.com/SQjQjavb16

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 1, 2026

Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com

But Jeffries was adamant: “ICE agents should conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country as opposed to running around — masked thugs, in many instances unleashing brutality on law-abiding American citizens.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries calls the Senate-passed funding deal “a meaningful step in the right direction,” but adds that “we need a robust path toward dramatic reform. The administration can’t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk.” pic.twitter.com/ewJ2fbuHm5

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 1, 2026

Credit: @ThisWeekABC/X.com

Democrat operative-turned ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos also spoke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during Sunday’s broadcast, asking him to defend Don Lemon’s arrest. Stephanopoulos asked Blanche if perhaps the Justice Department was in the wrong by suggesting Lemon had crossed the line between reporting on the protest and becoming a part of it.

Blanche pushed back, saying that Lemon’s indictment was public and anyone who chose to do so could read the charges for themselves.

“Nobody in this country should feel comfortable storming into a church while it’s ongoing and disrupting that church service and thinking that we’re just going to stand by and let that happen,” Blanche added.

Deputy AG Todd Blanche on the arrest of journalist Don Lemon: “Nobody in this country should feel comfortable storming into a church while it’s ongoing and disrupting that church service and thinking that we’re just going to stand by and let that happen.” https://t.co/3BFEBVPRR2 pic.twitter.com/AaRU7EuApD

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 1, 2026

Credit: @ThisWeekABC/X.com

Lemon also took to the airwaves to address his arrest, telling his audience that his arrest had only helped him to see things more clearly — and that he was only going to be more outspoken in the future.

“So I know that there are people who think like oh, you know, do this, and I’m going to be locked up or whatever. I ain’t worried about that. You heard the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I ain’t even worried about that. Like not. Don’t even think about it,” Lemon said.

CNN anchor Dana Bash pressed Blanche on Lemon’s arrest as well, asking whether it might have been done because Lemon and Trump have often been at odds rather than because Lemon had done anything that warranted such a response.

“Was it about trying to make an example out of somebody who the President has sparred with?” Bash asked.

“I don’t even know that the President has even ever thought of Don Lemon,” Blanche replied.

Trump, aboard Air Force One on Saturday, made it clear that he did not care for Lemon — but he also said that he’d had no advance knowledge that the former CNN host was going to be arrested.

Dana Bash pushes Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on the arrest of former CNN journalist Don Lemon:

BASH: “Was it about trying to make an example out of somebody who the President has sparred with?”

BLANCHE: “I don’t even know that the President has even ever thought of… pic.twitter.com/pA2bCGgVjC

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 1, 2026

Credit: @CNNSOTU/X.com

On “Face the Nation,” CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan hosted a roundtable discussion with several mayors from around the United States to talk about the tensions between federal and local authorities with regard to immigration enforcement.

“Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican, said that “mayors are certainly caught in a little bit of an impossible situation … When the federal government and federal law enforcement comes into your city, we are fully subservient to that in the eyes of the law, and we also believe in the rule of law. So, we get caught kind of in the middle of these tensions, and we need a federal government who will use discretion and restraint with that power.”

Republican Oklahoma City, OK, Mayor David Holt said that “mayors are certainly caught in a little bit of an impossible situation” with federal law enforcement in cities.

“When the federal government and federal law enforcement comes into your city, we are fully subservient to… pic.twitter.com/xB4nk6oOPj

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 1, 2026

Credit: @FaceTheNation/X.com

In the last week, Trump has shaken up the personnel on the ground in Minneapolis, sending border czar Tom Homan in to oversee the efforts.

And if we know Tom Homan, we know he “ain’t worried.”