Latest news with #DeKalb
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Atlanta reporter detained by Ice ‘punished for his journalism', rights groups say
Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist imprisoned in a south Georgia immigration detention center after being arrested covering a 'No Kings Day' protest in June, is being 'punished for his journalism', first amendment rights groups said. 'The charges were dropped, yet he remains detained by Ice,' said José Zamora, the regional director for the Americas at the Committee to Protect Journalists, during a press conference on Tuesday morning at the Georgia capitol with Guevara's attorneys and family. 'Let's be clear, Mario is being punished for his journalism. He is now the only journalist in prison in the US in direct retaliation for his reporting.' A police officer from the city of Doraville in north DeKalb county arrested Guevara on 14 June on misdemeanor charges of pedestrian in the roadway, failure to disperse and obstruction while Guevara was covering a protest in an immigrant-heavy neighborhood. Guevara is widely followed by a Spanish-speaking audience for his coverage of immigration raids in Georgia, and more than 1 million people were watching his livestream on Facebook when he was arrested. Guevara, a native of El Salvador, has been in the US for more than 20 years. While his petition for asylum was rejected in 2012, his deportation was administratively closed in an appeal, and he has both a work permit and a pending application for a green card, his attorney Giovanni Diaz said. Though charges from the protest were quickly dropped, the sheriff of nearby Gwinnett county laid a second set of unrelated misdemeanor traffic charges shortly after Guevara's arrest. The Gwinnett county solicitor subsequently dropped those charges as well, but not before Gwinnett's sheriff's office seized his cell phone with a search warrant. Guevara's cell phone has not been returned, and it is unclear where it is, what data has been transferred from it or whether that data has been shared with federal agencies, Diaz said. 'Everybody's saying we don't see a warrant in the system,' Diaz said, describing his office's inquiries with the sheriff and other agencies. 'So, one of two things happened. Some other agency that hasn't contacted us took it – US attorney's [office], Ice, somebody else has it – or the phone was just plain stolen. 'I think it's par for the course, considering the government's conduct in this case. We're doing this, at least initially, to see if we get the phone back, but again, if they don't give the phone back, its another reason to file a lawsuit in federal court.' Guevara's family was forced to make an extortion payment after another inmate threatened him while he was briefly held in general population in the federal prison in Atlanta. Guevara is now being held in isolation, which may help protect him, but also limits his ability to report on conditions at the Folkston immigration center, set to become the largest Ice detention center in the US. 'With every day that passes, we are losing time that we will never get back,' said his daughter Katherine Guevara. 'I know so many others in the same situation understand it all too well. I'm deeply disappointed with this country. This is not just about one journalist. This is about what kind of country we want to be. If a government can punish a reporter for doing his job, what message does this send? What protections are left for the rest of us?'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
West, Darlene 1930-2025 St. Joseph, Mo.
Darlene West, 95, of St. Joseph, passed away Sunday, July 20, 2025, at Gower Convalescent Center. She was born May 28, 1930, in St. Joseph, daughter of Violet and Clarence Halpain. She graduated from Benton High School, class of 1948, and St. Joseph Junior College. She married Billy West on June 3, 1950. Darlene spent many years as a homemaker and later worked with St. Joseph Beauty University, Seitz Foods and Librarian at Missouri Western State College. Darlene was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Billy West; son, Randy West; twin sister, Arlene Messner; and siblings, Norman Halpain, Myrna Turner, David Halpain; and grandson, Ryan Reno. Survivors include children, Mark West, Rhonda Fitzmaurice (Mark Grable), all of St. Joseph and Scott West, of Grant City, Missouri; grandchildren, Shannon, Brandon, Amy, Chad and Whitney; and 12 great-grandchildren. A Graveside Service and Interment will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Westlawn Cemetery in DeKalb, Missouri. Memorials are requested to the Alzheimer's Association. Online condolences, obituary at As published in the St. Joseph News-Press.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Spanish-language journalist who documents immigration raids detained for ICE after protest arrest
A Spanish-language journalist known for documenting immigration raids could face deportation proceedings after police arrested him on charges of obstructing officers and unlawful assembly as he was covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta. Mario Guevara, who fled El Salvador two decades ago and built a large following as an independent journalist covering immigration in the Atlanta area, was broadcasting live on social media Saturday at a protest in DeKalb County when officers arrested him. The video shows Guevara standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, filming police in riot gear walking through a parking lot, before he stepped into the street as officers approached. 'I'm a member of the media, officer,' Guevara tells a police officer right before he's arrested. The video shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with 'PRESS' printed across his chest. Guevara was jailed in DeKalb County, which includes parts of Atlanta, on charges of obstructing police, unlawful assembly and improperly entering a roadway. His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, said a judge granted Guevara bond on Monday, but he was kept in jail after Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an extra 48-hour hold on him. 'He's not a legal permanent resident, but he has authorization to remain and work in the United States,' Diaz said in a phone interview, adding that Guevara has an adult son who is a U.S. citizen and an application pending for his green card. If ICE agents take custody of Guevara, Diaz said, his case would move to federal immigration court for potential deportation proceedings. Diaz insisted that Guevara has a strong case for being allowed to stay in the U.S. But he said that President Donald Trump 's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has added 'another level of anxiety.' A spokesperson for the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, Cynthia Williams, confirmed that Guevara was being held for immigration authorities. An ICE spokesperson in Atlanta did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Guevara fled El Salvador with his family in 2004, saying he was beaten and repeatedly harassed because of his work as a political reporter for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica. They immigrated to Georgia, where Guevara worked as a reporter for Georgia's largest Spanish-language newspaper, Mundo Hispanico, before launching his own online news site, MGNews. Guevara's coverage of immigration raids, often documented live with help from a network of tipsters, has earned him a big social media following that exceeds 782,000 on Facebook alone. Like hundreds of communities across the U.S., DeKalb County saw crowds gather Saturday to protest the Trump administration. County officials said in a news release that police were dispatched to confront protestors marching toward an interstate onramp. Officers fired tear gas and made at least eight arrests. Guevara was photographed at that protest by news outlets including The Associated Press. The video he recorded leading up to his arrest shows him standing beside a shopping center a distance from police vehicles blocking a roadway. Guevara doesn't appear to be near any crowds or confrontations when police arrested him. Diaz said Guevara is well-known by local and federal authorities after his years of documenting immigration enforcement. 'He's been doing this type of work for 20-plus years, and now he gets detained," Diaz said. 'It's concerning. He's a member of the press. And he doesn't seem to be committing any crime.' ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Spanish-language journalist who documents immigration raids detained for ICE after protest arrest
A Spanish-language journalist known for documenting immigration raids could face deportation proceedings after police arrested him on charges of obstructing officers and unlawful assembly as he was covering a weekend protest outside Atlanta. Mario Guevara, who fled El Salvador two decades ago and built a large following as an independent journalist covering immigration in the Atlanta area, was broadcasting live on social media Saturday at a protest in DeKalb County when officers arrested him. The video shows Guevara standing on a sidewalk with other journalists, filming police in riot gear walking through a parking lot, before he stepped into the street as officers approached. 'I'm a member of the media, officer,' Guevara tells a police officer right before he's arrested. The video shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with 'PRESS' printed across his chest. Guevara was jailed in DeKalb County, which includes parts of Atlanta, on charges of obstructing police, unlawful assembly and improperly entering a roadway. His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, said a judge granted Guevara bond on Monday, but he was kept in jail after Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an extra 48-hour hold on him. 'He's not a legal permanent resident, but he has authorization to remain and work in the United States,' Diaz said in a phone interview, adding that Guevara has an adult son who is a U.S. citizen and an application pending for his green card. If ICE agents take custody of Guevara, Diaz said, his case would move to federal immigration court for potential deportation proceedings. Diaz insisted that Guevara has a strong case for being allowed to stay in the U.S. But he said that President Donald Trump's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has added 'another level of anxiety.' A spokesperson for the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, Cynthia Williams, confirmed that Guevara was being held for immigration authorities. An ICE spokesperson in Atlanta did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Guevara fled El Salvador with his family in 2004, saying he was beaten and repeatedly harassed because of his work as a political reporter for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica. They immigrated to Georgia, where Guevara worked as a reporter for Georgia's largest Spanish-language newspaper, Mundo Hispanico, before launching his own online news site, MGNews. Guevara's coverage of immigration raids, often documented live with help from a network of tipsters, has earned him a big social media following that exceeds 782,000 on Facebook alone. Like hundreds of communities across the U.S., DeKalb County saw crowds gather Saturday to protest the Trump administration. County officials said in a news release that police were dispatched to confront protestors marching toward an interstate onramp. Officers fired tear gas and made at least eight arrests. Guevara was photographed at that protest by news outlets including The Associated Press. The video he recorded leading up to his arrest shows him standing beside a shopping center a distance from police vehicles blocking a roadway. Guevara doesn't appear to be near any crowds or confrontations when police arrested him. Diaz said Guevara is well-known by local and federal authorities after his years of documenting immigration enforcement. 'He's been doing this type of work for 20-plus years, and now he gets detained,' Diaz said. 'It's concerning. He's a member of the press. And he doesn't seem to be committing any crime.' ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Spanish-language journalist to be turned over to Ice after protest arrest
Mario Guevara, a prominent Spanish-language journalist in metro Atlanta who frequently covers Immigration and customs enforcement raids, will be turned over to Ice detention after being arrested by local police while covering the 'No Kings' protests. Guevara, 47, was born in El Salvador and has been in the United States for more than 20 years. He recorded his own arrest Saturday during a raucous street protest in the Embry Hills area of north DeKalb county, an Atlanta suburban neighborhood with a large Latino population. The protest ended with riot police throwing teargas and marching protesters down the street after declaring an unlawful assembly. About 35 minutes into the video Guevara was live-streaming on Facebook to more than 1 million people, he can be first seen on the sidewalk, then backing away from a police officer approaching him. As he backed into the street, two other police officers immediately arrested him. 'By any chance, are we still live?' he asks in Spanish, in the darkness of a van at the scene. 'Someone please call the lawyer Giovanni Díaz, my lawyer, so he can pull the strings he needs to pull. Yes, we're still live, right? Please, someone let lawyer Giovanni Díaz know what just happened.' The arresting officer is from the Doraville police department, a municipality which holds part of Atlanta's famed Buford Highway strip of immigrant-oriented businesses. A second officer approaching Guevara in the video is wearing a gas mask and cannot be identified from his uniform. Police charged Guevara as a pedestrian improperly entering a roadway, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and unlawful assembly. A municipal judge released Guevara on Monday on a recognisance bond – customary with misdemeanor charges. But jail staff said he would be transferred instead to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The law office Diaz & Gaeta Law, which represents Guevara, declined to comment. A request for information from Doraville police has gone unanswered. Police facilitated demonstrator's march at an earlier protest in the nearby suburban city of Tucker, in which thousands of people walked across an overpass above I-285–Atlanta's main ring highway–with banners and signs. The earlier 'No Kings' protest had been organized and promoted by Indivisible and 50501. Conversely, organizers from the Party of Socialism and Liberation led the Embry Hills protest. According to a release from the DeKalb Police Department, police declared an unlawful assembly after they believed marchers would attempt to approach the highway on the on-ramp. Police arrested eight people including Guevara at the protest on Saturday. Ted Terry, a DeKalb county commissioner, asked the county's staff to investigate the circumstances around the use of teargas at the event. 'The decision to deploy teargas – particularly in a neighborhood context with nearby homes and businesses – raises serious questions about the proportionality and justification of the county's response to peaceful civil action,' he wrote. A spokesperson for Ice in Atlanta could not immediately confirm the conditions of the immigration hold or whether Guevara faces deportation. As a journalist with Diario CoLatino in El Salvador, he fled the country in 2004 one step ahead of threats from leftwing paramilitary groups. It took him seven years to get his first asylum hearing before a judge, the journalist told Spanish-language wire service Agencia EFE in the Los Angeles-based publication La Opinión in 2012. He described the arrest of his wife after an error in the immigration system. 'The hardest part for me was seeing my three children cry as she was taken away, and me being powerless to give them the comfort and protection they need,' he said in Spanish in the interview. Guevara has worked for Spanish-language media such as Atlanta Latino and Mundo Hispanico in metro Atlanta since, reporting on criminal justice issues. Guevara's reporting has won awards, including an Emmy. His reporting has uncovered corruption at the Honduran consulate in Georgia and documented the effect of immigration enforcement around Atlanta. He founded MGNews in June last year, focusing on immigration enforcement, and quickly built a sizable following. At the time of his arrest Saturday, Guevara was live-streaming on Facebook to more than 1 million viewers, outdrawing CNN and Fox News combined on a Saturday afternoon.
