The only journalist behind bars in the United States

Journalist behind the bars in the US. via Committee to Protect Journalists

July 11, 2025 - CPJ calls on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities to respect an immigration court ruling and release on bail journalist Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador who has been legally in the U.S. for the past 20 years.

On Monday, ICE denied Guevara’s bail and listed him as “not releasable,” though a judge ruled July 1 that Guevara could be released on a $7,500 bond, according to a copy of the denial reviewed by CPJ.

“We are dismayed that immigration officials have decided to ignore a federal immigration court order last week granting bail to journalist Mario Guevara,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Guevara is currently the only jailed journalist in the United States who was arrested in relation to his work. Immigration authorities must respect the law and release him on bail instead of bouncing him from one jurisdiction to another."

The journalist was initially arrested while covering a June 14 “No Kings” protest in the Atlanta metro area and charged with three misdemeanors, which local officials declined to prosecute due to insufficient evidence. A local judge ordered Guevara to be released on bond, but he remained in custody after ICE opened a detainer against him. – Committee to Protect Journalists