Journalist arrested while covering anti-Trump protest granted bail amid deportation battle
A Georgia immigration judge granted bond for a Spanish-language journalist who was arrested last month while covering a demonstration in DeKalb County, though his challenges are not over as the federal government is seeking to deport him.The Associated Press reported that 47-year-old Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, was arrested by local police on June 14 while covering a protest in DeKalb County, just outside Atlanta.Several days after his arrest, local police turned Guevara over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has kept him in an immigration detention center in Folkston ever since.Guevara started the digital news outlet MG News nearly a year ago, and on Tuesday, the outlet shared on social media that a judge granted him bond.JUDGE SETS STRICT CONDITIONS FOR ABREGO GARCIA'S RELEASE AS TRUMP OFFICIALS PURSUE CASE AGAINST HIM"The immigration judge has granted bail to Mario Guevara," a post on the outlets Facebook feed read. "The immigration process continues but free and in Atlanta."The post also thanks Guevaras attorneys for assisting with the legal process and getting bail for Guevara.In another post, MG News stated Guevara was able to pay $7,500 bail after his arrest while covering the "No Kings" protest on June 14.Guevara left El Salvador 20 years ago and has since built a following covering immigration in Atlanta as a journalist.TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS TO DEPORT CONVICTED MURDERER SHIELDED BY BIDEN-ERA TORTURE PROTECTIONAt the time of his arrest, Guevara was livestreaming on social media from a DeKalb County "No Kings" rally against President Donald Trump and his administration, when police arrested him.In video captured by Guevara, the Spanish-speaking journalist is seen wearing a helmet, red shirt and a vest that read "PRESS." Guevara captured video clips of riot police moving in formation, while he also described the scene in Spanish.Then, police can be seen on the video approaching Guevara, when he said, "Officer. Officer. Im a member of the media, officer."Guevaras phone then goes blurry until he asks the officer to pick up his phone because he needs it for work.DeKalb police charged Guevara with obstruction of police, unlawful assembly and being a pedestrian on the roadway.RETURNED ILLEGAL ABREGO GARCIA PLEADS NOT GUILTY; JUDGE YET TO RULE ON PRETRIAL CUSTODYCounty Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling dismissed the charges last week, noting that there was not enough evidence to support a prosecution, though there was probable cause to support Guevaras arrest."At the time of his arrest, the video evidence shows Mr. Guevara generally in compliance and does not demonstrate the intent to disregard law enforcement directives," Coleman-Striblings office said in a press release.At that point, though, Guevara was already in ICE custody.Guevara had warrants issued for his arrest in connection with charges of distracted driving, failing to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving, which were secured by the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office on June 20.FEDERAL JUDGE DELIVERS ONE-TWO PUNCH TO TRUMP IN ABREGO GARCIA CASEThe charges stemmed from a May 20 incident that was reported on June 17, the AP reported.Guevaras attorney, Giovanni Diaz, has said his client is not a legal resident though he has authorization to work in the U.S. Guevara also has a pending green card application, which was sponsored by his U.S. citizen son, the AP reported.The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on its site that it welcomed the courts order to release Guevara, adding that the organization is concerned by the prosecutions argument that livestreaming the protest "presented a danger to the public by compromising the integrity and safety of law enforcement activities.""We are heartened to see that Mario Guevara was ordered to be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at his bond hearing, though we remain concerned about the arguments the prosecution made that Guevaras work as a reporter presented a danger to the community," CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen said. "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 Guevaras coverage of his community. We urge law enforcement to thoroughly investigate why Guevara was arrested in the first place."The Associated Press contributed to this report.