Last Week in Censorship: January 27 - February 2, 2026

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This week, Americans witnessed a chilling escalation in the Trump administration’s war on dissent, as federal agents began conducting intimidating home visits against legal observers while the FBI launched criminal investigations into encrypted messaging groups used to track ICE activities. From threatening fundraising emails targeting the president’s own supporters to sophisticated facial recognition surveillance systems, the infrastructure of authoritarianism expanded rapidly across multiple fronts, culminating in the arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for covering a church protest.

Former CNN journalist Don Lemon arrested for covering church protest. Federal agents arrested Don Lemon in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy against religious freedom after he livestreamed an anti-ICE protest at St. Paul’s Cities Church. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrests, describing them as stemming from “the coordinated attack on Cities Church,” where one pastor serves as acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office. A federal magistrate judge had previously rejected criminal complaints against Lemon, finding his journalism was protected by the First Amendment. The White House mocked Lemon’s arrest on social media, posting an image with the caption “When life gives you lemons...” and an emoji of chains. Independent journalist Georgia Fort was arrested on the same grounds, calling the action a “chilling message” to Americans.

FCC Chairman threatens talk shows with new “equal time” rules. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced new directives forcing TV networks to comply with “equal time” rules for late-night and daytime talk shows featuring political candidates. The move specifically targets shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The View” that have been critical of Trump. Carr wrote on social media: “For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night & daytime talk shows qualify as ‘bona fide news’ programs—even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes.” Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called the announcement “an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor & control speech.”

Republican states pass record number of university censorship laws. More than half of U.S. college students now study in states with laws restricting what can be taught, according to a new PEN America report. In 2025, lawmakers in 32 states introduced 93 bills censoring higher education, with 21 enacted across 15 Republican-controlled states. The 21 enacted bills represent a record-setting year for education censorship. Fourteen of the bills contain “gag orders” that directly censor classroom speech, while others restrict tenure, faculty governance, and diversity programs. Texas A&M University announced it was ending its women’s and gender studies program under the new restrictions.

Federal agents conduct home visits against ICE observers. Federal agents escalated intimidation tactics by visiting ICE watchers at their homes in Maine and Minnesota. Liz Eisele McLellan reported that a federal agent came to her Maine home while three cars blocked the street outside. “This is a warning,” the agent told her. “We know you live right here.” The home visits followed previous threats by masked ICE agents who warned legal observers they would be entered into a “domestic terrorist” database. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced a new email address for residents to report “intimidating or excessive behavior” by federal agents.

FBI investigates Signal groups tracking ICE operations. FBI Director Kash Patel announced investigations into Signal group chats used by Minnesota residents to share information about ICE agents’ movements. Patel told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson: “We immediately opened up that investigation because that sort of Signal chat being coordinated with individuals... if that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people.” The investigation was prompted by conservative journalist Cam Higby, who claimed to have “infiltrated” Signal groups. Free speech advocates quickly criticized the investigation, with Aaron Terr of FIRE telling NBC News that sharing such information serves “legitimate reasons” including enabling “members of the public to observe and document law enforcement activity.”

Trump fundraisers threaten to send ICE after supporters. The Trump administration’s intimidation tactics reached supporters themselves through bizarre fundraising emails threatening to deploy ICE against donors who don’t respond to citizenship surveys. The Never Surrender PAC sent emails with the subject line “Are you an illegal alien?” warning: “Are you a proud American Citizen or does ICE need to come and track you down?” The threatening emails came days after ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Secret watchlists of Americans exposed. Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein revealed the existence of over a dozen secret watchlists used by DHS and the FBI to track anti-ICE and pro-Palestine protesters, despite official denials. The watchlists have codenames including Bluekey, Grapevine, Hummingbird, Reaper, Sandcastle, Sienna, Slipstream, and Sparta. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin had previously denied such databases existed. A senior intelligence official confirmed the watchlists, warning that federal agents create lists of “this social media post, that video taken of someone videoing ICE, the mere attendance at a protest” that eventually became “a list itself of criminality.”

ICE uses facial recognition to revoke Global Entry privileges. Nicole Cleland, a Target executive and Minnesota ICE observer, had her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck privileges revoked three days after a CBP agent confronted her using facial recognition technology. “He told me, ‘We have facial recognition, and we know who you are,’” Cleland recalled, even though she never left her car. Cleland filed a lawsuit against DHS, alleging the revocation was retaliation for exercising her First Amendment rights.

Despite the administration’s intimidation campaign, legal observers and journalists continue documenting federal overreach. The ACLU of Maine is investigating patterns of intimidation by federal officials, while multiple First Amendment organizations are challenging restrictions on campus speech and press freedom. Several federal judges have ruled that protesters’ and monitors’ actions “did not forcibly obstruct or impede” ICE agents’ work, finding that officers engaged in “targeted First Amendment retaliation” against observers. Robert Peck, a 67-year-old South Portland man, filed notice of intent to sue ICE and DHS after agents threatened to arrest him for “observing” their activities, demonstrating that Americans are fighting back against constitutional violations through the courts.