Journalist faces trial in KY for charges related to covering ICE protest
A journalist will stand trial Thursday in Northern Kentucky after he was arrested this past summer covering a protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Lucas Griffith, 21, a photo intern at Cincinnati CityBeat, was arrested July 17 on the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which connects Covington to downtown Cincinnati.
Griffith was one of two CityBeat journalists arrested while covering a protest calling for the release of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who was detained by ICE on July 9. Both journalists face charges in Kenton County.
Griffith was charged with several misdemeanors: failure to disperse, second-degree disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway and obstructing an emergency responder. He was also charged with unlawful assembly and resisting arrest, but those charges were dismissed Sept. 17.
Madeline Fening, an investigative reporter at CityBeat, was also arrested. Her trial is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026. She faces charges of failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency responder violations and disorderly conduct.
According to Griffith’s arrest citation, more than 100 people were in the roadway of the Roebling Bridge July 17 when officers used a public address system to order everyone to the sidewalk.
Despite repeated commands and warnings, the crowd remained in the roadway, police said.
At least 15 people were arrested, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Enquirer reported the protest was initially intended to be a vigil for Soliman, and there were no plans for a march on the bridge.
Soliman came to the U.S. in 2018 seeking asylum. He was detained by ICE this past summer because Department of Homeland Security officials said he worked with a charity they claimed was associated with an Egyptian terrorist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Enquirer reported. The U.S. has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
Soliman’s asylum was revoked in June based on the claim.
On Sept. 19, Soliman’s deportation case was dropped, and he was freed from custody, according to ProPublica.
Griffith and Fening are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. The ACLU declined to comment on the case.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 3:41 PM.
