Latest news with #Guevara
Axios
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Family, advocacy groups call on ICE to free detained Atlanta reporter
Katherine Guevara spent years watching her father, Mario Guevara, help others through his work as a reporter. Zoom in: Her father chased stories that mattered to Atlanta's Hispanic residents, not for recognition, but because journalism was a form of service, she said. "For more than 20 years, I have witnessed his unwavering dedication and selfless commitment to serving the community," she said. But for the last 41 days, Mario Guevara has been unable to pursue leads since his June 14 arrest while covering a protest against immigration enforcement tactics in DeKalb County. Why it matters: Guevara, a native of El Salvador who faces deportation from the country, is the only journalist in the U.S. currently detained after an arrest in connection with his work as a reporter, said Katherine Jacobsen, a program coordinator for Committee to Protect Journalists. "This case ... sends a clear, chilling message to reporters, especially those in this country who are not U.S. citizens, that they too could very well find themselves at risk in the same way Mario has," Jacobsen said during a press conference Tuesday. The latest: Guevara's daughter and son, Oscar, were joined by their father's attorney, Democratic state lawmakers and other advocacy organizations calling for the reporter's release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) said Tuesday the constitutional right to freedom of speech and the press isn't about whether "you agree with someone's opinions [or] the substance of their reporting." "It's about their right to collect information and disseminate that information to communities who rely on it to make deliberative, informed decisions about their democracy," he said. What they're saying: Nora Benavidez, a member of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, said Guevara's case is "emblematic of the disturbing path that the United States is on." "If the exercise of those rights is now penalized like it is with Mario Guevara simply because those in power dislike the message or the messenger, that means that our basic freedoms are not free." Catch up quick: Guevara, a prominent Spanish-speaking journalist who runs the independent media outlet MG News, was charged with obstruction, pedestrian walking in or along a roadway and unlawful assembly while covering a protest on Chamblee Tucker Road. Federal immigration officials placed a hold on his detention at the DeKalb County Jail, meaning they would take him into custody once he was released from the facility. He was released from the DeKalb County Jail on June 18, but the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office charged him with misdemeanor traffic offenses stemming from an incident that happened about a month before his arrest. Both DeKalb and Gwinnett counties dropped charges against Guevara, but his attorney Giovanni Diaz said his client's phone was seized by the Gwinnett sheriff's office when they executed a search warrant. An immigration judge has ordered Guevara released on a $7,500 bond, but the federal government has appealed that ruling, meaning he remains at the immigration detention facility in Folkston.
NBC News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Journalist detained by ICE after covering immigration protest should be released, his children say
ATLANTA — A Spanish-language journalist who was arrested while covering a protest just outside Atlanta last month and is being held in a federal immigration jail felt a duty to help those whose voices often go unheard, his children said Tuesday. Police in DeKalb County arrested Mario Guevara while he was covering a protest on June 14, and he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a few days later. An immigration judge set a $7,500 bond for him earlier this month, but that ruling has been put on hold while the government appeals it. For now, Guevara is being held in an immigration detention center in Folkston, in southeast Georgia, near the Florida border and a five-hour drive from his family in suburban Atlanta. Katherine Guevara, 27, said that for more than 20 years she has watched her father's "unwavering dedication and selfless commitment to serving the Hispanic community." "He chased stories that mattered, stories that told the truth about immigration, injustice, about people who usually go ignored," she said during a news conference at the Georgia state Capitol. Guevara, 47, fled El Salvador two decades ago and drew a big audience as a journalist in the Atlanta area. He worked for Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language newspaper, for years before starting a digital news outlet called MG News a year ago. He was livestreaming video on social media from a "No Kings" rally protesting President Donald Trump's administration when local police arrested him in DeKalb County. Guevara frequently arrives on the scene where ICE or other law enforcement agencies are active, often after getting tips from community members. He regularly livestreams what he's seeing on social media. "Growing up, I didn't always understand why my dad was so obsessed with his work, why he'd jump up and leave dinner to chase down a story. But now I do," said Oscar Guevara, 21, who now works as a photojournalist for MG News. Guevara's children were joined at the news conference by members of civil rights and press freedom groups, as well as state lawmakers. "Mario Guevara is journalist and so his detention raises even bigger questions, about civil rights, constitutional rights, the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press," state Sen. Josh McLaurin said. Giovanni Diaz, one of Guevara's lawyers, said he and the family have been speaking to Guevara regularly. He said Guevara is doing well but has "been shaken to his core" because he believes he's being unfairly punished by a country he loves so much. "He is still smiling. He's in good spirits. And he's in it for the fight, and so are we," Diaz said. Guevara is "essentially in isolation," Diaz said, adding that ICE has said that it's for his own safety since he's a public figure and his reporting style was sometimes controversial. But being kept alone, "that wears on you," Diaz said. An immigration judge agreed with Guevara's lawyers that the journalist is not a danger to the community, but ICE is arguing he's such a threat that he shouldn't be released, Diaz said. The lawyer said he's optimistic that the Board of Immigration Appeals will decide in Guevara's favor and he will be able to post bond, allowing him to be free while he fights the government's efforts to deport him. Guevara has been authorized to work and remain in the country, Diaz said. A previous immigration case against him was administratively closed more than a decade ago, and he has a pending green card application. Video from his arrest shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with "PRESS" printed across his chest. He could be heard telling a police officer, "I'm a member of the media, officer." He was standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, with no sign of big crowds or confrontations around him, moments before he was taken away. Police charged Guevara with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. His lawyers worked to get him released and he was granted bond in DeKalb, but ICE had put a hold on him and he was held until they came to pick him up. DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling on June 25 dismissed the charges, saying that video showed that Guevara was "generally in compliance and does not demonstrate the intent to disregard law enforcement directives." The sheriff's office in neighboring Gwinnett County announced on June 20, once Guevara was already in ICE custody, that it had secured warrants against him on charges of distracted driving, failure to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving. Gwinnett County Solicitor-General Lisamarie Bristol announced July 10 that she would not pursue those charges.
Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
In Mexico City, two icons of Cuban repression are banished
But for all the radical chic they inspired, and despite the swooning of countless Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Yet even after all these years, they are still celebrated as Advertisement When Castro and Guevara came to power in Cuba in 1959, they quickly consolidated their control through terror. Political opponents were hauled before kangaroo courts and executed at what became known as 'el paredón,' the wall where executions took place. Those they killed, recounted ' At the Havana fortress of La Cabaña, Guevara personally oversaw mass executions. 'A revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate,' Even after the revolution's early days, This month — July — evokes a particularly On July 13, 1994, more than 70 Cubans crowded onto an old tugboat, the '13 de Marzo,' and set out from Havana under cover of night, desperate to reach Florida. Seven miles off the Cuban coast, they were intercepted by government vessels. The security boats rammed the tug repeatedly, smashed its hull, and trained high-pressure hoses on the passengers — Advertisement The tugboat massacre is only one entry on the long list of A row erupted after the sculpture was removed from the park in Cuauhtémoc last week. Among those complaining was Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who insisted that the 'historic moment' represented by the statues merited a public tribute of memory. As the Mexican journalist Carlos Bravo Regidor Symbols matter. Statues and monuments help shape a society's collective memory, and to enshrine Castro and Guevara in bronze was to enshrine the lies they told and the suffering they caused. Their sculptures on a bench in the heart of Mexico's capital was a declaration that their partnership was something admirable and worthy of commemoration, perhaps even something to emulate. In reality, it was a partnership in despotism, and it brought misery to millions. Rojo de la Vega's order to cart away the monument was an act of moral hygiene. May the removal of the statues in Mexico City be only a prelude to the removal of their dictatorship in Havana — and to the day when the Cuban people can finally breathe free. Advertisement Jeff Jacoby can be reached at
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Family, supporters urge release of Spanish-language journalist in ICE custody
ATLANTA (AP) — A Spanish-language journalist who was arrested while covering a protest just outside Atlanta last month and is being held in a federal immigration jail felt a duty to help those whose voices often go unheard, his children said Tuesday. Police in DeKalb County arrested Mario Guevara while he was covering a protest on June 14, and he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a few days later. An immigration judge set a $7,500 bond for him earlier this month, but that ruling has been put on hold while the government appeals it. For now, Guevara is being held in an immigration detention center in Folkston, in southeast Georgia, near the Florida border and a five-hour drive from his family in suburban Atlanta. Katherine Guevara, 27, said that for more than 20 years she has watched her father's 'unwavering dedication and selfless commitment to serving the Hispanic community.' 'He chased stories that mattered, stories that told the truth about immigration, injustice, about people who usually go ignored,' she said during a news conference at the Georgia state Capitol. Guevara, 47, fled El Salvador two decades ago and drew a big audience as a journalist in the Atlanta area. He worked for Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language newspaper, for years before starting a digital news outlet called MG News a year ago. He was livestreaming video on social media from a 'No Kings' rally protesting President Donald Trump's administration when local police arrested him in DeKalb County. Guevara frequently arrives on the scene where ICE or other law enforcement agencies are active, often after getting tips from community members. He regularly livestreams what he's seeing on social media. 'Growing up, I didn't always understand why my dad was so obsessed with his work, why he'd jump up and leave dinner to chase down a story. But now I do,' said Oscar Guevara, 21, who now works as a photojournalist for MG News. Guevara's children were joined at the news conference by members of civil rights and press freedom groups, as well as state lawmakers. 'Mario Guevara is journalist and so his detention raises even bigger questions, about civil rights, constitutional rights, the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press,' state Sen. Josh McLaurin said. Giovanni Diaz, one of Guevara's lawyers, said he and the family have been speaking to Guevara regularly. He said Guevara is doing well but has 'been shaken to his core' because he believes he's being unfairly punished by a country he loves so much. 'He is still smiling. He's in good spirits. And he's in it for the fight, and so are we,' Diaz said. Guevara is 'essentially in isolation,' Diaz said, adding that ICE has said that it's for his own safety since he's a public figure and his reporting style was sometimes controversial. But being kept alone, 'that wears on you,' Diaz said. An immigration judge agreed with Guevara's lawyers that the journalist is not a danger to the community, but ICE is arguing he's such a threat that he shouldn't be released, Diaz said. The lawyer said he's optimistic that the Board of Immigration Appeals will decide in Guevara's favor and he will be able to post bond, allowing him to be free while he fights the government's efforts to deport him. Guevara has been authorized to work and remain in the country, Diaz said. A previous immigration case against him was administratively closed more than a decade ago, and he has a pending green card application. Video from his arrest shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with 'PRESS' printed across his chest. He could be heard telling a police officer, 'I'm a member of the media, officer.' He was standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, with no sign of big crowds or confrontations around him, moments before he was taken away. Police charged Guevara with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. His lawyers worked to get him released and he was granted bond in DeKalb, but ICE had put a hold on him and he was held until they came to pick him up. DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling on June 25 dismissed the charges, saying that video showed that Guevara was 'generally in compliance and does not demonstrate the intent to disregard law enforcement directives.' The sheriff's office in neighboring Gwinnett County announced on June 20, once Guevara was already in ICE custody, that it had secured warrants against him on charges of distracted driving, failure to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving. Gwinnett County Solicitor-General Lisamarie Bristol announced July 10 that she would not pursue those charges.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latino journalist detained by ICE says he's been 'emotionally destroyed'
Journalist Mario Guevara from El Salvador is speaking out about being detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in southern Georgia. Guevera, who left his homeland over 20 years ago and founded the Spanish-language news outlet MG News, was detained by ICE agents as he was reporting on a 'No Kings' protest on June 14 in the Atlanta area. The 47-year-old reporter's arrest was captured on video because he was live-streaming his news report as the incident occurred. "I'm plainly convinced that my situation in this ICE jail is direct retaliation for my coverage,' Guevara recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'I haven't committed any crimes." After spending a month in ICE custody, Guevara has described himself as being "emotionally destroyed" by his ongoing detention. He believes that he is being made an example of by the government to dissuade people from monitoring ICE activities. "[T]hey want to send a message that people can't be following ICE operatives or expose what's happening," he claimed. On June 24, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X about Guevara's situation. Read more: Journalist Mario Guevara is still in ICE detention despite being granted bond 'Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran national, is in ICE custody because he is in our country ILLEGALLY. Guevara was arrested by Dekalb County, Georgia police for willful OBSTRUCTION after he REFUSED to comply with local police orders to move out of the middle of the street,' the post claimed. 'Following his arrest by local authorities, ICE placed a detainer on him. Following his release, he was turned over to ICE custody and has been placed in removal proceedings.' Regarding Guevara's residence status, his lawyer has noted that Guevara has a work permit and has a pathway to citizenship through the sponsorship of his adult son, who is a U.S. citizen. Guevara has claimed that he is only allowed to be outside of his cell for two hours a day and that he was extorted by a fellow inmate, though ICE has not confirmed his claims. 'Everyone here knows me. One person even told me that I recorded his arrest. Imagine that," Guevara said of his notoriety among his fellow inmates. According to the journalist, his online followers have expressed that his coverage of the ongoing ICE raids is sorely missed. "People are realizing that they have to be informed when there are raids happening on a daily basis," he said. "It fills me with joy to know that my work had an impact. But I'm paying for that with my freedom. It's a high price." Despite the joy he gets from informing his community about the latest news, Guevara plans on putting his reporting on hold if he were to be released from detention, due to his immigration status. "I can't put myself at risk," he said. "Unless I become a U.S. citizen, my coverage will have to change." Read more: Periodista hispano que documenta redadas migratorias en EEUU podría ser deportado tras ser detenido Guevara — who self-identified as being more ideologically aligned with the Republican party, in part because of his Christian values — said his detention has made him reconsider his political alignment. 'I was confident that Trump was a smart man who could help in terms of the economy of the country, and that he could help give a boost to moral values in the U.S.," Guevara acknowledged. "[B]ut when he got into power, I realized that his ideology was completely different. It was simply persecution, persecution, persecution.' He advised Latinos in the U.S. with the ability to vote to reconsider giving support to a man who continually acts "against our community." Guevara also expressed regrets about how he has prioritized work over family throughout his career. "That may have been the biggest mistake of my life, because now I'm realizing that work is not more important than family. But I am no criminal," he said. "My family needs me. I'm going to fight until the end." In a previous statement released from detention, Guevara said that being in ICE custody for a month has left him unable to support his family, including his son who has a special condition that leaves him in need of constant care and attention. Get our Latinx Files newsletter for stories that capture the complexity of our communities. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
