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 14 while 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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