Georgia journalist Mario Guevara should be freed from federal custody immediately and misdemeanor charges against him in conflict with his First Amendment rights should be dropped.
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation is joining the Committee to Protect Journalists and a coalition of local and national advocates calling on the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to affirm the right of journalists to gather news without government interference.
Guevara is an Emmy-award winning Spanish language reporter who was arrested Saturday, June 14, while covering a “No Kings” protest in metro Atlanta. Local authorities charged Guevara with entering a roadway, obstruction of law enforcement officers and unlawful assembly. He was detained despite wearing a vest clearly marked “PRESS.”
“The Georgia First Amendment Foundation board joined the coalition signing the letter to express our dismay to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that a working journalist could face deportation for simply exercising his First Amendment rights while reporting on an event of great public interest,” said Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, the foundation’s president.
The Salvadoran journalist has been transferred from local police custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Folkston detention center, where he faces deportation. Guevara has lived in the United States for 20 years, has work authorization in the country and is on a path to obtaining a green card.
