A Spanish-language journalist who livestreamed his own arrest at a weekend protest outside Atlanta was transferred from the DeKalb County Jail to Immigration and Customs Enforcement just before 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday and now faces possible deportation to El Salvador, according to his attorneys.
As previously reported by WABE, Mario Guevara was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Saturday, June 14, after his attorneys say he was approached on the sidewalk by three police officers in riot gear while covering one of the many protests that day against President Donald Trump’s administration and its immigration policies.
Who is Mario Guevara?
Guevara, who fled El Salvador with his family two decades ago and built a large following as an independent journalist covering immigration raids, including for his online news site, MG News, was charged with obstructing police, unlawful assembly and improperly entering a roadway. A judge granted Guevara bond on Monday, but he was kept in jail after ICE placed an extra 48-hour hold on him.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Guevara’s attorney, Giovanni Diaz, said he expected the hold to expire on Wednesday afternoon, after which DeKalb County would be required to release him. If not, a legal team would begin the process of filing a habeas corpus petition in federal court, which is a legal principle enshrined in the U.S. Constitution that requires a person being held in custody to be brought before a judge to determine if their detention is legal.
“His record is impeccable in this country, so this arrest is concerning, ” Diaz said. “Although there’s been a surge since the Black Lives Matter movement with detaining journalists, it’s still a relatively rare occurrence here in the United States.”
According to Diaz, Guevara is authorized to work in the U.S. and has an application pending for a green card. He is also the primary caretaker of his adult son, who is a U.S. citizen and recently underwent surgery for a brain tumor. It’s not clear to which ICE facility Guevara was transferred.
“He’s in ICE custody and we’re working on preparing his bond motion,” Diaz told WABE Wednesday morning.
What’s next?
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office did not provide any more information about Guevara’s release from the county jail or how many other people were picked up by ICE overnight when reached out for comment.
But during Tuesday’s press conference, Guevara’s attorneys said they were confident they could help get him released.
“Mario’s case is one that has a high probability of success,” Diaz said. “Unfortunately, under this administration, we’ve seen some very interesting tactics being implemented during litigation… but we’re still getting the bonds, we’re still getting these cases granted, and we feel confident that if Mario does end in the hands of immigration, that we’ll be successful.”
Diaz said that if Guevara was taken into ICE custody, he would likely spend some time at the agency’s downtown field office before being transferred to either the Stewart Detention Center or the Folkston ICE Processing Center, which he described as being “overwhelmed.”
“People are sleeping on the floor,” Diaz said. “Some detention centers don’t have enough food. … My job is to try to get people out of those hell holes. So, it’s not fun. If anybody I know can handle it and be in good spirits, it’s Mario … I think somebody like him, who’s faith-driven and mission-driven, is somebody who’s prepared to handle whatever those conditions may be.”
In a statement, the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists said Guevara was initially detained on “spurious charges,” and that if legally challenged, Guevara’s case could violate the First Amendment and would set a “terrifying” precedent in the U.S.
“Guevara must be released without delay,” Katherine Jacobsen of CPJ said. “His ongoing detention signals a frightening erosion of press freedom in the U.S.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
