Journalist Arrested in Atlanta While Covering Protest
The Spanish-language reporter faces possible deportation
Por The Committee to Protect Journalists
HAVANA TIMES – The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by news reports of the ongoing detention and possible deportation of Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested June 14 while covering a “No Kings” protest against the actions of the Trump administration in an Atlanta, Georgia suburb.
CPJ wrote a letter to DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Cochran-Johnson requesting that charges against Guevara be dropped and has not immediately received a reply from the office.
“We are deeply concerned by the ongoing detention of Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara by authorities in DeKalb County, Georgia. He must be released immediately and the charges against him dropped,” said CPJ United States, Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Guevara was doing his job and reporting the news at the time of his arrest. It is alarming that the charges he is now facing could be a pretext to begin deportation proceedings against him.”
Guevara, an Emmy-winning reporter who covers immigration on his “MGnews” Facebook page, and other social media platforms was livestreaming the protest in the Embry Hills neighborhood northwest of Atlanta when he was detained by police. At the time of his arrest, Guevara was wearing a press pass and clearly identified himself as a journalist to law enforcement, according to video footage of his arrest.
Originally from El Salvador, Guevara has work authorization in the United States and has been in the process of obtaining a green card through his son, who is a US citizen.
Guevara was charged with improperly entering a roadway; obstruction of law enforcement officers; and unlawful assembly, according to reports. During a court appearance yesterday, a judge granted Guevara bond. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a “detainer” against the journalist, which often precedes the deportation process, his lawyer, Giovanni Díaz, told reporters.