ICE Detains Atlanta Reporter Over Immigration Reporting Amid Retaliation Claims

Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist based in Atlanta, has been detained by ICE for nearly two months despite having charges against him dropped and an immigration judge granting bond, with his legal team and the ACLU asserting that his detention is retaliation for his reporting on immigration enforcement. Guevara, who has been livestreaming ICE activities to a large Spanish-speaking audience, faces deportation proceedings amid concerns that his detention violates his First and Fifth Amendment rights, and that local law enforcement, including the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office, has coordinated with ICE to prolong his imprisonment. His attorneys argue that targeting Guevara for his journalism constitutes government censorship aimed at silencing him. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, ICE agents have been recorded obstructing an NPR reporter attempting to cover their operations, including refusing to properly identify themselves and physically blocking her camera, sparking criticism and raising concerns about suppression of press freedom. These incidents highlight increasing tensions between ICE and journalists covering immigration enforcement, with allegations of intimidation and retaliation from government authorities against reporters documenting their activities.