ICE Requests Journalist Mario Guevara Be Held in Jail After Covering Immigration Protest in Atlanta

ICE requests Mario Guevara be held in jail

Journalist arrested during protest

Faces three legal charges

Mario Guevara is a Salvadoran journalist widely recognized for documenting immigration raids in Georgia.

He is currently being held at DeKalb County Jail after being arrested while covering a protest against ICE raids in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

According to reports by Univisión, the arrest occurred on Saturday, June 14.

That day, Doraville police officers arrested him while he was live-streaming a demonstration organized to demand an end to immigration operations considered aggressive and intimidating by local activists.

ICE requests Mario Guevara be held in jail: Charges and Questions Surrounding His Arrest

ICE requests Mario Guevara be held in jail – Photo: Facebook Screenshot, Mario Guevara

Guevara currently faces three charges: obstruction of police work, walking as a pedestrian on a roadway, and unlawful assembly.

The last charge was officially added on Monday, June 16.

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This has raised concerns among civil rights organizations, which view his case as a troubling example of the criminalization of journalistic work.

Following the arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an “ICE hold” order against Guevara.

ICE Issues Hold Against Mario Guevara

This order requires the county jail to keep the journalist in custody even if he fulfills or settles his local arrest, for up to an additional 48 hours, so ICE can evaluate whether to take custody of the detainee and initiate immigration proceedings.

A spokesperson for the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the existence of the immigration hold to Univisión, as reported by the outlet.

From his cell, Guevara has been unable to make statements beyond the footage of his arrest, which was broadcast live on social media.

The journalist has spent years covering immigrant arrests, ICE operations, and community protests.

Concerns About Press Freedom

He has particularly reported on immigrant arrests since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s administration, when immigration enforcement increased in both number and intensity.

Known for his active presence on social media and commitment to ground reporting, Guevara became a key figure for many immigrant communities in the Atlanta metro area.

Following his arrest, many users voiced concern about what they consider an arbitrary detention and ICE’s involvement in a case involving a journalist doing his job.

Several attorneys specializing in immigration rights and press freedom have expressed alarm over the charges filed and how quickly ICE intervened.

Mario Guevara Granted Bail but Cannot Leave Jail

According to EFE, Guevara was granted bail but cannot yet leave DeKalb County Jail due to the ICE hold.

“Mario was granted bail to be released, but because of the immigration hold, he obviously cannot leave jail yet. We hope he will be able to leave soon,” said Alondra Madrigal.

The journalist’s attorney, Zacharias Gaeta, stated during a Facebook livestream on MG News that he does not consider the charges to be serious.

Although the arrest was recorded live, Gaeta did not specify what Guevara’s immigration future might be.

A Career in Journalism

“We still have faith and confidence that he will be able to get out, but we still have to keep fighting,” Gaeta added.

Guevara is originally from El Salvador, where he was a photojournalist for La Prensa Gráfica.

He later immigrated to the United States, where he became an immigration reporter for the outlet MundoNow, and then founded his own digital media platform, MG News, focused on immigration issues.

The large protests that filled U.S. streets on Saturday against President Trump’s “authoritarianism” led to the arrest of dozens of people in different cities, although no major incidents occurred, and the day unfolded mostly peacefully.

Legal and Community Reactions

Guevara’s legal representatives announced that they will release an official statement in the coming days to clarify details of the case and explain the journalist’s legal status.

For now, it is unclear whether Guevara faces the risk of deportation, although the ICE hold suggests immigration authorities may be considering opening a case against him.

Local activists and civil rights organizations have begun efforts to spread awareness of his situation and pressure for his immediate release, citing his status as a journalist and the fact that he was arrested while performing his professional duties.

Guevara’s case adds to a growing list of incidents in the United States in which journalists are arrested while documenting protests or police actions.

Immigrant Community in Georgia

According to press freedom advocacy groups, these incidents represent a setback in protecting fundamental rights such as access to information and freedom of expression.

The immigrant community in Georgia—already shaken by raids and deportations—now fears that even those documenting these realities through a critical and close lens may be silenced.

While ICE continues to review the case, Guevara’s legal situation remains uncertain, and his continued detention serves as a warning for both journalism and the protection of human rights in the country, Univisión reported.