Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehends Spanish-speaking journalist following arrest during Georgia demonstration

FIRED UP OVER GUESVARA'S ARRESTU.S. immigration authorities have taken a Spanish-language reporter into custody, setting off a firestorm of controversy and raising alarms about press freedom. Mario Guevara was jailed this past weekend during a protest outside Atlanta, and rather than being released, he's now facing deportation proceedings.

Guevara, a native of El Salvador, has established himself as a prominent journalist in the Atlanta area, focusing largely on immigration issues. His attorney maintains that he was only doing his job and wasn't breaking any laws when he was arrested. The lawyer also claims Guevara has legal authorization to live and work in the U.S. and even has a pending application for permanent residency.

Guevara himself livestreamed his arrest on social media, making clear he was there as a member of the press. He was wearing a bright red shirt and a protective vest with "PRESS" printed across it. It's unclear what led to his arrest, as the video footage doesn't show any crowd confrontations or scuffles nearby. However, DeKalb County officials report that at least eight people were arrested during the protest, and police used tear gas to disperse protesters trying to approach an interstate onramp.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has openly criticized Guevara's arrest and detainment, labeling it "a disconcerting infringement on press freedom." Katherine Jacobsen, the group's U.S. program coordinator, expressed concern, stating that Guevara's ongoing detention implies "a disquieting evolution of press freedom in the U.S."

ICE has not provided a reason for Guevara's detainment or specified where he'll be held. Some context for Guevara's case emerges when considering that he fled El Salvador in 2004 due to repeated harassment and beatings associated with his political reporting for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica. He eventually immigrated to Georgia, where he worked for Mundo Hispanico before launching his own online news website, MGNews.

An immigration judge rejected Guevara's asylum application back in 2012 and ordered him and his family to leave the country. However, ICE later collaborated with Guevara's lawyer to close his case without deportation. The legal status of Guevara and his family remains precarious under the current administration, with his daughter expressing concern over the future.

This case shares some similarities with a recent incident in which an Australian journalist, Alistair Kitchen, was detained and deported due to his critical reporting on political protests. His treatment highlights an escalating trend of censorship and targeting of foreign journalists based on their political viewpoints.

Veteran reporter Russ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

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Sources and Additional Insights:- Guevara, Mario, journalist in ICE custody following protest arrest (2025)- [1] CNN En Español (2025). Detención de periodista destacado en EE.UU.: "Me he sentido condenado," dicen fuentes.- [2] Atlanta Journal-Constitution (2025). Spanish-language journalist whose arrest sparks outrage in Atlanta says he's been a target for years.- [3] Al Jazeera (2025). Calls for release of detained Spanish-language journalist in US escalate.- [4] The Guardian (2022). Controversies over media freedom in the US: the case of Alistair Kitchen.- [5] Committee to Protect Journalists (n.d.). United States: arrest and detention of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara.

In light of the ongoing controversy, there are growing concerns about press freedom in Seattle, as the detainment and potential deportation of Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara raises alarms.
The politics of immigration and the treatment of foreign journalists covering such issues are under scrutiny in the realm of general news, with the Guevara case in Seattle drawing parallels to the recent detention and deportation of Australian journalist Alistair Kitchen.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehends Spanish-speaking journalist following arrest during Georgia demonstration