Atlanta Journalist Remains in ICE Detention Amid Legal Fight

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to detain Atlanta-area journalist Mario Guevara nearly two months after his arrest, according to a federal petition filed Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Guevara, a Salvadoran immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was arrested on June 14 while covering the “No Kings” day protests in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood with a significant immigrant population. The misdemeanor charges related to his arrest were quickly dropped by DeKalb County prosecutors, and similar charges from Gwinnett County were also dismissed days later.

Despite this, Guevara remains at the Folkston ICE Detention Center, facing potential removal from the United States. An immigration judge had granted him a $7,500 bond in June, recognizing that his work as a journalist is protected under the First Amendment, but ICE appealed the decision. The appeal has put the bond on hold, with no hearing date scheduled.

Guevara is the founder of MG News, a social media-driven outlet that covers local ICE activities. At the time of his arrest, he was livestreaming to over a million followers. The ACLU claims that ICE’s continued detention of Guevara is retaliatory, stating that it aims to silence his reporting and punish him for his journalism.

Guevara has no criminal history, holds a work permit, and had a deportation order administratively closed a decade ago. His eldest child, a U.S. citizen, has sponsored his green card application. The ACLU petition highlights his long-standing cooperation with law enforcement and notes that a metro Atlanta officer testified on his behalf during the bond hearing.

ICE has argued that Guevara presents a danger to the community due to his livestreaming and reporting on law enforcement activities. The ACLU counters that it is highly unusual for the government to appeal a bond for someone without a criminal record or evidence of danger, noting that ICE is relying primarily on his journalism as justification for detention.

The petition requests federal court intervention to lift the bond stay, transfer the case to federal jurisdiction, and declare that continued detention violates both the First and Fifth Amendments.

Guevara’s case has drawn attention for its potential implications on press freedom, as he is reportedly the only U.S. journalist currently detained in connection with their reporting.