Overview

• On June 14, Mario Guevara was arrested by DeKalb County police for obstruction, unlawful assembly and other misdemeanor counts while wearing a press vest at an immigration protest in Atlanta.
• ICE lodged a detainer on June 18 and transferred him to the Folkston processing center in South Georgia, where he is now held under removal proceedings.
• Guevara has lived in the United States as a legal resident for over 20 years and has a pending green card application sponsored by his U.S. citizen son.
• The Department of Homeland Security insists his detention is based solely on immigration violations and misdemeanor convictions, not on his work as a journalist.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom organizations have urged DHS to grant bond and drop deportation proceedings, warning that his case could undermine protections for non-citizen reporters.