A Popular Spanish-Language Journalist Is in ICE Custody After Being Arrested at an Atlanta “No Kings” Protest
Press freedom groups are calling for the release of a popular Spanish-language journalist who was arrested last Saturday while livestreaming protests in Atlanta and has since been transferred into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Mario Guevara, an Emmy Award–winning reporter, was livestreaming a “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump in the Atlanta area on Saturday when he was arrested by Doraville Police Department officers. Guevara was charged with obstructing police, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway, according to court records.
However, Guevara’s lawyers and press freedom groups say the charges against him are bogus. Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said in a press release that Guevara’s “ongoing detention signals a frightening erosion of press freedom in the U.S.”Â
“Guevara must be released without delay,” Jacobsen said.
Guevara came to the U.S. in 2004 from El Salvador, where he said his work as a photojournalist led to attacks and death threats against him. A judge denied Guevara’s asylum application in 2012, but he has been allowed to legally remain in the country on a work permit and has been attempting to gain permanent residency. Several of his family members are U.S. citizens.
“He’s been renewing his work authorization,” Giobanni Diaz, one of Guevara’s attorneys, told Fox 5 Atlanta. “He’s a law-abiding member of the community.”
Guevara previously reported for several Spanish-language news outlets before launching his own independent outlet, MG News. His on-the-ground coverage of immigration arrests in the Atlanta area has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook and TikTok. He’s also well-known to local law enforcement.
“It seemed like he was doing exactly what he usually does when he’s on the scene,” Diaz said.
Shortly before his arrest, Guevara’s v
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