Appeals court ruling allows ICE to deport metro Atlanta journalist
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Mario Guevara livestreams himself while covering a protest in June as police in tactical gear walk behind him. Photo: Courtesy of Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon and Atlanta Civic Circle
Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities can "at any moment" deport metro Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara to his native El Salvador after he lost his bid to stay in the U.S., his attorney told Axios.
Why it matters: The deportation would make Guevara's case the first documented instance of a reporter being removed from the country after an arrest on charges stemming from his work, said Katherine Jacobsen, a program coordinator with the Committee to Project Journalists.
Driving the news: Giovanni Diaz, who is representing Guevara in his immigration case, told Axios he filed a motion Thursday for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision denying Guevara's request.
- The ACLU later said in a news release that Guevara was transferred to a facility in Louisiana and is being deported Friday to El Salvador.
What they're saying: Diaz told Axios that Guevara's family is devastated by the court's decision.
- "Obviously we're not suffering what Mario is suffering, the family is suffering," he said. "But anybody who knows Mario and is involved with Mario knows his family is devastated."
State of play: Alondria Madrigal, a journalist who had been working with Guevara for eight months before he was arrested, told Axios he's a "fearless reporter" who helped her adjust to covering local news.
- Guevara was very skilled at using Facebook Live to broadcast news from where he was reporting, but now that he's no longer in the community, that void is noticeable, Madrigal told Axios.
- "We don't see any more [news of] ICE activity because Mario's not … out there," she said.
Catch up quick: Guevara, founder of independent media outlet MG News, was arrested June 14 while covering a protest in DeKalb County.
- After his 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.
- ICE detained Guevara on June 18, and the charges he was arrested on were later dropped.
- An immigration judge originally ordered Guevara released on a $7,500 bond, but the federal government appealed the ruling.
The fine print: Guevara has lived in the U.S. since 2004 and two of his three children are U.S. citizens. One requires long-term medical care.
- He was authorized to work in the country and was in the process of obtaining his green card when he was arrested, Diaz previously said.
The big picture: Jacobsen told Axios the government's argument that Guevara's live-streaming of his work threatened law enforcement "should really sound the alarm bells for all journalists who have ever engaged in live streaming activity."
- "I think what we're seeing with Guevara's case is an incredibly blanket and horrendous reminder of the importance of journalists doing risk assessments," she said. "We're no longer in a safety paradigm … where there's a space to relax in a certain way."
What we're watching: Diaz told Axios that ICE won't inform him if his client is deported. The only way he'll know is if Guevara reaches out to him.
- They will continue working to get Guevara his green card through the State Department's National Visa Center.