An Emmy Award-winning reporter who recorded his own arrest while covering a “No Kings” protest in metro Atlanta now faces possible deportation.
Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist known for his coverage of immigration raids, was live-streaming the anti-Trump rally Saturday when tensions between officers in riot gear and marchers escalated, Fox 5 reported.
Wearing a helmet and a press-labeled vest, Guevara was filming a group of officers in a parking lot when they began moving towards him. Despite identifying himself as a journalist, he was arrested.
The livestream is still available to watch on Facebook, where Guevara has more than 780,000 followers.
He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and charged with obstruction of law enforcement officers, walking improperly in a roadway, and unlawful assembly.
Guevara’s attorneys have condemned the arrest—arguing he was detained simply for documenting the protest, according to Fox 5.
On Monday, attorneys successfully petitioned for bond, only to learn that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had lodged a “detainer” against Guevara, blocking his release for 48 hours so ICE officers can take him into custody.
The detainer means the federal government believes Guevara, who is originally from El Salvador, can be deported. Attorney Giovanni Diaz said that while Guevara lacks permanent legal status, he has work authorization and is pursuing a green card through his U.S. citizen son.
“You can imagine with this administration, they always reserve the right to put an ICE hold on anybody that is technically not a legal permanent resident, regardless of whether or not they have work authorization,” Diaz told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Local jails have the authority to choose whether to comply with ICE detainers. According to the Journal-Constitution, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has taken steps to limit cooperation with ICE detainers in specific situations.
Nevertheless, Diaz declared, “The clock is running. We have to be prepared for the possibility that he will end up with ICE.”
Guevara came to the U.S. in 2004, fleeing threats from left-wing paramilitary groups in El Salvador, according to Fox 5. He has worked as a journalist for Atlanta Latino and for Mundo Hispánico, the largest Spanish-language news organization in Atlanta, winning a Southeast Emmy Award in 2021 for his work at the outlet.
