On Wednesday, U.S. immigration authorities reported the apprehension of a journalist who primarily centers on reporting in the Spanish language. The journalist is facing deportation proceedings following his arrest for charges of disturbing police operations and illegitimate assembly during a protest in the vicinity of Atlanta occurring over the previous weekend. The individual in question, Mario Guevara, was handed over by local law enforcement to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after spending three days in DeKalb County’s jail. The subsequent developments entail Guevara’s case progressing to immigration court, where it will be evaluated whether he, originating from El Salvador, is permitted to stay within the U.S.
Giovanni Diaz, Guevara’s legal representative, proclaimed that his client only performed his professional duties and did not commit illegal acts at the time of his detention by the police. Furthermore, Diaz contested that Guevara possesses lawful rights to reside and be employed in the U.S. and currently has a request for permanent residence pending approval. Fleeing from El Salvador approximately twenty years prior, Guevara has amassed a large audience through independent journalism focusing primarily on immigration issues within the area of Atlanta.
On the day Guevara was apprehended, he was providing real-time video coverage on a social media platform of a rally taking place in DeKalb County. The footage reveals Guevara’s attire, wearing a vibrant red shirt beneath a guard vest prominently labeled with ‘PRESS’ across his torso. On that day, local officials from DeKalb County declared the arrest of a minimum of eight people in connection with the rally, with law enforcement resorting to tear gas as a deterrent against protesters attempting to approach an interstate on-ramp.
Video documentation provided through Guevara’s coverage reveals him stationing himself on a sidewalk, amid other press members. No immediate signs denoting large crowd gatherings nor confrontations are discernible in the vicinity of his location prior to his detention. The official records sourced from the jail indicate that the charges directed towards Guevara include obstruction against police operations, illegitimate assembly, and unauthorised roadway entry.
The arrest and subsequent detention of Guevara by ICE solicited strong opposition from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Guevara, along with his family members, sheltered themselves from El Salvador and sought refuge in the U.S. in 2004. The primary factor provoking their flight was Guevara’s testament of facing repeated threats and physical assaults due to his political journalism work for La Prensa Grafica, a local newspaper.
Post their immigration, Georgia served as the new home for the Guevara family, where Guevara initially sustained his journalistic career prior to the inauguration of his personal digital news platform, MGNews. In a major setback, Guevara’s appeal for asylum was denied by an immigration judge in 2012, simultaneously instructing the departure of him and his family from the U.S.
Regardless, a noteworthy resolution arose when ICE collaborated with Guevara’s legal representative to end his case without indulging in deportations. This culminated in Guevara garnering permission to carry forward with his work commitments contained within U.S. boundaries. However, this tenuous situation resulted in increased anxiety within the Guevara family.
‘The current administration’s stance is unclear to us,’ expressed Katherine Guevara, Mario Guevara’s grown-up daughter, during a press meet. She further voiced her concerns, expressing that ‘The validity of temporary legal status could be insignificant.’
