Lawyers ask judge to order release of journalist detained by immigration officials in US state of Georgia
'Mario Guevara is being detained solely because of his journalism,' rights group says

WASHINGTON
Lawyers asked a federal judge to order the release of a Spanish-language journalist held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing his detention violates media freedoms.
“Mario Guevara is being detained solely because of his journalism,” Scarlet Kim from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Wednesday in a statement.
“Documenting what government actors do in public is fully protected by the First Amendment, yet those activities are exactly what the government claims makes Mario a danger to society,” she said, calling the government’s rationale “unlawful” and a chilling warning to other journalists, particularly non-citizen journalists.
Guevara, founder of Spanish-speaking media outlet, MG News, was arrested June 14 while covering a rally in the US state of Georgia, despite wearing a media vest.
Criminal charges were later dropped, and an immigration judge granted him bond on July 1. But ICE refused to release Guevara, contending his livestreaming of immigration and law enforcement activities makes him a danger to the community.