Journalist Mario Guevara detained 100 days, deported to El Salvador
Oct 3, 2025·Location: Flores, Guatemala
Country of origin: Guatemala

Mario Guevara, an Emmy-award-winning Salvadoran journalist who lived in Atlanta for nearly 22 years and held a valid work permit, was arrested by ICE on June 14, 2025, while live-streaming a 'No Kings' protest in Doraville. He spent more than three months in immigration detention, much of it in isolation, separated from his wife and children who remained in the US. A Georgia immigration judge ordered his release on bond in July, and the ACLU filed legal challenges on his behalf, but the Bureau of Immigration Appeals closed his case and ordered his removal on September 19. DHS denied targeting him for his journalism, stating he was arrested for obstruction and deported due to a decade-old removal order. He was deported to El Salvador on October 3, 2025, and continued working as a journalist afterward, reporting from Central America and speaking at international press freedom conferences.
Timeline
Sources
- Live-streaming journalist deported to El Salvador after months in ICE custody
CNN·Oct 3, 2025·archived copy
WRAL·Oct 3, 2025·archived copy
KTVZ·Oct 3, 2025·archived copy
KYMA·Oct 3, 2025·archived copy
- Spanish-language journalist arrested while covering protest near Atlanta deported to El Salvador
Associated Press·Oct 3, 2025·archived copy
- Freedom oppressed: the journalists caught up in Trump’s ICE crackdown
The Guardian·Sep 21, 2026
- atlantamagazine.com
- CourtListener
- cntrstgmusic.com
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