Judge orders the release of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara on bail

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"Judge Grants Bail to Salvadoran Journalist Mario Guevara Amid Immigration Proceedings"

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Original Article Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/01/media/judge-orders-release-salvadoran-journalist-mario-guevara
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An immigration judge in Georgia has granted bail to Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist and live-streamer who has been in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly two weeks. Guevara, who has lived in the United States since 2004, was arrested on June 14 while covering a protest in Atlanta against police brutality. Although he was charged with several offenses, including obstruction of law enforcement officers and unlawful assembly, those charges have since been dismissed. Despite the dismissal, ICE sought to keep Guevara detained due to his immigration status, leading to significant concern from press freedom advocates. Guevara's legal team asserts that he has authorization to work in the U.S., although he lacks a permanent resident card. His high-profile presence in Georgia, particularly in reporting on immigration enforcement, has garnered him a substantial following on social media, where he documented police activity and community responses until his arrest last month.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voiced its support for Guevara, stating that the judge's decision to release him on bail allows him to return to his family and continue his journalistic work while his immigration case is pending. Guevara's wife expressed her relief and gratitude towards the legal team for their efforts. However, concerns remain regarding the prosecution's arguments that Guevara's reporting activities pose a danger to the community. CPJ representatives highlighted the troubling implications of Guevara's arrest while exercising his First Amendment rights, emphasizing that his detention sends a concerning message to journalists and has stifled his ability to cover critical issues in his community. The case underscores ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement and press freedoms in the United States, raising questions about the treatment of journalists and their rights under the law.

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Source URL: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/01/media/judge-orders-release-salvadoran-journalist-mario-guevara

An immigration judge in Georgia has ordered the release of the Spanish-language journalist and live-streamer Mario Guevara on bail while his immigration process continues, a relative of Guevara confirmed to CNN.

Guevara, who came to the US from El Salvador in 2004, has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for the better part of two weeks. He was recently identified by the US Press Freedom Tracker as the only journalist in custody in the United States.

Guevara was arrested on June 14while covering a “No Kings” protest near Atlanta and charged with improperly entering a pedestrian roadway, obstruction of law enforcement officers and unlawful assembly. Video of the episode showed that he was wearing a vest and press credentials at the time.

While the charges were later dismissed, ICE authorities had requested that he remain detained due to his immigration status.

CNN has reached out to ICE for comment.

According to Guevara’s legal team, the journalist has authorization to work in the United States, although he does not have a permanent resident card.

Guevara built up a high profile in Georgia, and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, for his one-man-band approach to covering immigration enforcement. He often streamed videos of arrests and the aftermath — until his own arrest last month.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which had expressed support for Guevara and sent a representative to Tuesday’s hearing, said the judge’s order means he can “return to his work and family while his case proceeds.”

In an interview with the publication NotiVisión Georgia, Guevara’s wife, Miriam Sáenz de Guevara, said she was happy about the order and thanked his legal team, which is working on details for the journalist to return home, she said.

Katherine Jacobsen, who attended the hearing for CPJ, said Guevara’s release on bond was heartening, “though we remain concerned about the arguments the prosecution made that Guevara’s work as a reporter presented a danger to the community.”

“The fact that Guevara was arrested while exercising his First Amendment rights as a journalist and was subsequently held for over two weeks by various law enforcement bodies sends an alarming message to the media and has effectively silenced Guevara’s coverage of his community,” Jacobsen added.

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Source: CNN