Media Advisory: Emmy-Winning Journalist Mario Guevara’s Family, Advocates, & Legal Team Speak Out

WHAT: The Board of Immigration Appeals last week declined to release Mr. Guevara on bond, despite an immigration judge’s previous order granting his release. Instead, the board reopened Mr. Guevara’s 13-year-old immigration case and ordered him to return to El Salvador.

The ACLU and ACLU of Georgia will host a press conference with the legal team of Emmy-award winning journalist Mario Guevara, who the government has kept in immigration detention for over 100 days, arguing that his reporting on law enforcement activity constitutes a “danger to the community.” While he remains in detention, Mr. Guevara is at risk of being sent to El Salvador imminently.

WHO:

• Katherine Guevara, daughter of Mario Guevara
• Oscar Guevara, son of Mario Guevara
• Scarlet Kim, senior staff attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project
• Andres Lopez Delgado, senior staff attorney, ACLU of Georgia
• Giovanni Diaz, ESQ., owner & partner, Diaz & Gaeta Law
• Clare R. Norins, clinical associate professor & First Amendment Clinic director, University of Georgia School of Law
• Nora Benavidez, senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights, Free Press

WHEN:

Tuesday, September 23, at 1:30 p.m. EST.

WHERE:

Link here.

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Guevara was standing with other journalists and wearing a vest that identified him as a member of the press when he was arrested on June 14 while covering a “No Kings” protest. Shortly after his arrest, prosecutors dropped the criminal charges stemming from his presence at the protest, having concluded that he was complying with law enforcement directives, and an immigration judge ordered him released on bond on July 1. When his family tried to pay the bond, however, ICE officials refused to release him and have now transferred him five times in his three months of detention.

September 21 marked his 100th day in detention. His latest letter from ICE detention can be found here.