Source: The Bulwark
by Adrian Carrasquillo
“When Don Lemon was arrested after reporting on the aggressive protest of a church … the Trump administration claimed that Lemon and another journalist present at the event had violated federal laws meant, in part, to shield churches from having their services disrupted. The administration’s message was clear: Disrupting church services and taking away the right of others to worship freely and in peace is unconscionable. How dare protesters infringe on those congregants’ First Amendment rights! Who would do such a thing? Well, one of the first things this White House did after Donald Trump’s second inauguration was to rescind the 2021 guideline that required CBP and ICE agents to do everything in their power to avoid conducting operations in or near ‘protected areas’ like churches, hospitals, and schools. It wasn’t long before agents were showing up at just those sorts of places in the apparent hope of surprising their targets.” (02/04/26)