Mario Guevara, a well-known journalist and regional Emmy Award winner, is facing possible deportation after being arrested while covering a protest against President Donald Trump near Atlanta. Immigration authorities are now considering his removal from the country, according to The Daily Beast.
The incident occurred last Saturday during a demonstration called “No Kings,” which Guevara was live-streaming when tensions rose between protesters and law enforcement officers, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Wearing a helmet and a press-labeled vest, he was documenting interactions between riot police and protesters when he was arrested in a parking lot alongside other journalists — despite clearly identifying himself as a member of the press.
The live footage, still available on his Facebook page where he has more than 780,000 followers, captured the moment he was detained. Guevara was taken to DeKalb County Jail and charged with obstruction, improper use of a roadway, and unlawful assembly. His legal team has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, arguing that he was arrested simply for doing his job.
According to his attorneys, Guevara should never have been detained. “He was simply performing his duties as a journalist,” said representatives for Guevara, who is widely known and respected within Atlanta’s Latino community.
On Monday, lawyers secured his release on bond. However, shortly afterward, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer on Guevara, delaying his release for 48 hours so he could be transferred into federal custody.
The detainer indicates that ICE considers Guevara removable from the country. According to his attorney Giovanni Diaz, speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Guevara, originally from El Salvador, is not a lawful permanent resident but holds a valid work permit and is in the process of legalizing his status through his U.S. citizen son.
“With the current administration, it’s no surprise that ICE reserves the right to place a hold on anyone who isn’t a permanent resident, regardless of whether they have legal work authorization,” Diaz said.
The Journal-Constitution notes that local jails can decide whether or not to comply with ICE detainers. In DeKalb County, for example, the sheriff’s office has reportedly adopted guidelines to limit cooperation in certain cases.
Still, concern is growing. “The clock is ticking,” Diaz said. “We have to prepare for the real possibility that he’ll be handed over to ICE.”
Guevara arrived in the United States in 2004, fleeing threats from paramilitary groups in El Salvador. Since then, he has worked as a journalist for several prominent Spanish-language outlets in Atlanta, including Atlanta Latino and Mundo Hispánico. In 2021, he received a Southeast Emmy Award for his investigative work serving the Latino community.
