Legal team hopes to get journalist released from ICE detention
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Mario Guevara livestreams himself while covering a protest as police in tactical gear walk behind him. Photo: Courtesy of Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon and Atlanta Civic Circle
Free press advocates and lawyers for metro Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara are fighting to keep him in the United States after the Board of Immigration Appeals last week ordered he be deported to his native El Salvador.
Why it matters: Monday marked roughly 100 days since Guevara, a prominent Spanish-speaking journalist who founded digital media outlet MG News, was arrested while reporting at a protest in DeKalb County.
Driving the news: The ACLU of Georgia said it filed a temporary restraining order to halt the Board of Immigration Appeals' ruling Friday that Guevara must be returned to El Salvador.
- The ACLU told Axios in a statement that it's concerned Guevara "could be removed at any time because he remains in detention."
What they're saying: Nora Benavidez, senior counsel and director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights at Free Press, an advocacy organization, said a coalition of over 25 human rights and press freedom groups is calling for Guevara's release.
- Guevara is believed to be the only journalist who has been detained by ICE in the U.S. in connection with his work.
- Benavidez said the government has tried to portray Guevara's activities "as somehow dangerous, criminal or illegal."
- "It's really a case about this journalist who was … targeted because of his filming of police and ICE," Benavidez said. "And so it feels like it's part of a much broader censorship regime that we're seeing."
State of play: Guevara wrote in a letter published Monday on MG News' website that his arrest and ongoing detention have crushed his dignity "because I've been humiliated by both federal and local authorities, and I don't believe I deserve it."
- "Life isn't always fair," Guevara wrote. "If I'm deported, I'll leave with my head held high, because I'm convinced it's for carrying out my journalistic work, not for committing crimes."
Catch up quick: After his June 14 arrest, federal immigration officials placed a hold on his detention at the DeKalb County Jail, meaning they would take him into custody upon his release.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Guevara on June 18.
The fine print: Guevara has lived in the U.S. since 2004 and has three children. Two are U.S. citizens, and one requires long-term medical care.
- Guevara was authorized to work in the country and was in the process of obtaining his green card when he was arrested, his attorney said.
What's next: A federal judge will decide whether to grant a hearing for the temporary restraining order.