(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Disgraced former CNN host Don Lemon urged “black” and “brown” Americans on Wednesday to take up arms, warning they could be swept up in President Donald Trump’s ICE operations.
He made the incendiary claim during a podcast interview with Wajahat Ali, citing the small number of cases involving U.S. citizens being briefly detained by ICE in cities like Chicago.
“I just want to be very clear here. I am not condoning or promoting violence,” Lemon began, before invoking the Second Amendment. “Here’s what I’m saying to black and brown people, to Mexican people, to people who are here legally and who can go and buy a gun legally and have a license to carry legally: Go do it! Why not? Go do it! It is your Second Amendment right.”
Don Lemon instructs illegal aliens "to go out and get a gun because when you have people knocking on your door and taking you away, isn't that what the second amendment was written for?"
The left is trying to get ICE agents killed.pic.twitter.com/B1lMqM2CqS
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) October 16, 2025
Lemon then urged “black households,” “Indian Americans,” “Mexican Americans,” and, as he put it, “whatever you are,” to purchase firearms legally, claiming the show of force could discourage the Trump administration from conducting immigration raids.
“Get a license to carry legally,” he said. “Because when you have people knocking on your door and taking you away without due process as a citizen, isn’t that what the Second Amendment was written for?”
He continued, “Go back and read what the Second Amendment says. And perhaps it will knock some sense … in the heads of these people who are saying: ‘Well, it’s all great. I don’t believe they’re doing it without due process. They’re asking people for papers. They’re not really beating people up. These people are doing things that are illegal.’”
Lemon’s comments come amid the legacy media’s fixation on rare cases of American citizens briefly detained during ICE raids, most of which are quickly clarified or resolved.
White House border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly clarified that ICE conducts only targeted operations focused on individuals with existing deportation orders. However, illegal aliens without such orders, as well as citizens lacking proper identification, may be temporarily detained if swept up during these raids.
When reached by email, Lemon could not provide evidence of any widespread targeting of U.S. citizens by ICE by the time of publication.
Watch Lemon’s full remarks below:
