ACLU Urgently Appeals as Journalist Faces Immediate Deportation by ICE

FOLKSTON, Ga. — The only journalist detained by the United States Federal Government is at risk of immediate deportation at any moment, according to his attorneys, since the Board of Immigration Appeals is moving forward with his removal from the United States

Guevara, originally from El Salvador, has lived in the U.S. since the early 2000s. His lawyers say he holds a valid work permit and has a pending green card application, giving him a clear legal path to residency. 

Still, Guevara remains in custody at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in South Georgia—more than three months after his arrest.

Guevara, the founder and senior reporter for MGNews, is the only journalist currently jailed in the United States in direct retaliation for his reporting, according to his attorneys from the ACLU.

On June 14, Guevara was wearing a press vest when he was arrested while livestreaming a “No Kings” protest in DeKalb County. Criminal charges filed that day were quickly dropped, and on July 1 an immigration judge granted him bond.

But instead of releasing him, ICE transferred Guevara to Gwinnett County, where additional traffic charges were filed and then dismissed. Despite that, Guevara has remained in federal custody, shuffled between several detention facilities.

At the end of August, a federal judge in Brunswick heard arguments in a habeas petition challenging his detention but did not issue a ruling, instead asking both sides to provide additional information.

Now, Guevara’s attorneys with the ACLU of Georgia say the government’s immigration board is pressing forward with deportation efforts, calling it retaliation for his reporting and livestreaming work.

“Mario’s detention is unjust, a direct retaliation for his journalism and livestreaming—something that should worry us all,” Jose Zamora of the Committee to Protect Journalists said during the press conference after the Brunswick hearing in August.

Guevara’s son, Oscar, has also spoken publicly about the family’s ordeal, describing how his father calls nearly every day from detention. “To many people, he’s a journalist, but to me, he’s just my dad,” Oscar said outside a courthouse last month. “I want my dad out.”

If his legal team’s emergency appeal fails, Guevara could be deported to El Salvador any moment, cutting short a high-profile case that press freedom advocates say poses a dangerous precedent for journalists across the country.