Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to detain Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, making him the only journalist currently imprisoned in the United States in connection with his reporting.
Guevara was arrested on June 14 while covering protests during No Kings Day in Atlanta. Despite being clearly identified as a member of the press, he was taken into custody and later transferred to ICE detention.
On Monday, July 7, ICE denied his release and listed him as “No Releasable,” even though an immigration judge had approved his release on a $7,500 bond.
Officials at Floyd County Jail in Georgia confirmed to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that Guevara had been transferred to ICE custody. However, his current location remains unknown. “We don’t know where he is,” the jail said to CPJ.
“We are dismayed that immigration officials have decided to ignore a federal immigration court order last week granting bail to journalist Mario Guevara,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator.
“Guevara is currently the only jailed journalist in the United States who was arrested in relation to his work. Immigration authorities must respect the law and release him on bail instead of bouncing him from one jurisdiction to another.”
Protests are now being organized to demand Guevara’s immediate release.
At Free Press Alliance, we strongly condemn the unjust detention of Mario Guevara and join the call for his freedom.
Guevara has lived in the United States for 20 years, holds a valid work permit, and has family and children in the country. He should not be imprisoned for doing his job as a journalist.