Police clash with ICE protesters in DeKalb
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Police advance on demonstrators during a protest on ICE raids and deportation arrests on Chamblee Tucker Road in Atlanta on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Photo courtesy Arvin Temkar/AJC
At least eight people, including a journalist, were arrested in DeKalb County over the weekend during a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Why it matters: That protest occurred on the same day as the "No Kings" rallies held in Atlanta and across the country.
- Organizers of the nationwide events said Saturday's demonstrations were the biggest single-day anti-President Trump gatherings during his second administration, Axios' April Rubin and Rebecca Falconer report.
- The protests were held the same day as President Trump's military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and his 79th birthday.
The latest: The DeKalb County Police Department has not released the identities of the people arrested or the charges they face.
Zoom in: According to the AJC, officers dressed in riot gear arrived when people were trying to march in the street at the intersection of Chamblee Tucker and Northcrest roads.
- In a statement, the DeKalb County government said demonstrators tried to march towards the interstate and officers "issued multiple lawful commands" for them to get back on the sidewalk.
- When "those commands were not followed," DeKalb police called in additional support from its Tactical Response Team and the Georgia State Patrol.
- Tear gas was deployed to "prevent further escalation and ensure public safety," the county said.
- Police also asked people who were wearing face coverings or masks to remove them, and at least two people were detained in handcuffs, the AJC reports.
Among those arrested was Mario Guevara, a prominent metro Atlanta journalist known for his reporting on immigration raids.
- In a livestream video posted to the Facebook account he uses to publish reports, Guevara, who was wearing a press vest and helmet, told his audience in Spanish the protest was turning violent.
- The stream experienced technical difficulties. Guevara can be heard identifying himself as a member of the media to law enforcement before being seen on the ground under arrest.
- Guevara was booked in the DeKalb jail Saturday afternoon for obstruction of law enforcement officers and pedestrian walking in or along a roadway. In a Facebook post, the Diaz and Gaeta law firm said it was working to secure Guevara's release.
What they're saying: "The laws... may be legal, but we, the people, have a duty to challenge unjust laws and work to change them by protesting and speaking out for what we believe is right," Zach Norton of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism told the AJC.
The other side: DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said Saturday in a statement that the freedom to protest is "fundamental and respected."
- "But when a protest shifts from peaceful and law-abiding to one that threatens public safety and disregards lawful orders, I trust our officers to respond appropriately," she said. "Our duty is to protect both the rights of individuals and the wellbeing of the broader community."
Meanwhile, protests in Downtown's Liberty Plaza, the outdoor space across the street from the Georgia Capitol, Decatur and other cities remained mostly peaceful and without incident.
- Atlanta police spokesman Officer Aaron Fix told Axios in a statement that more than 10,000 people protested across the city and no arrests were made.
What's next: The Atlanta branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which organized the DeKalb protest, has planned another rally for June 21 in Lawrenceville.