Arrested journalist Mario Guevara is in removal proceedings, Homeland Security says

An immigrant journalist arrested during a protest in DeKalb County over the weekend now faces additional traffic charges in Gwinnett County while he remains in federal immigration custody.

Mario Guevara was arrested Saturday on Chamblee Tucker Road during a protest.

The Department of Homeland Security also said Guevara is in removal proceedings.

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Body camera video shows Doraville Police officers warned protesters to stay out of the street before making arrests.

“He was warned multiple times not to get in the road,” an officer said after the arrest, according to body camera video released by Doraville Police.

Guevara, known for documenting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations live on social media, identified himself as media during the arrest by Doraville Police and he asked officers to protect his phone for work purposes. He was livestreaming at the time of his arrest.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Guevara faces three new misdemeanor charges: distracted driving, failure to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving, Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson reported.

According to the sheriff’s office, the charges stem from incidents in May where Guevara “compromised operational integrity and jeopardized the safety of victims of the case, investigators, and Gwinnett County residents” during law enforcement operations conducted by the Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit.

Court documents show the charges are connected to an incident on Preston Lake Drive near Tucker and another off Singleton Road near Norcross where Guevara allegedly broke traffic laws to follow unmarked vehicles so he could livestream police activity.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Guevara after his arrest in DeKalb County. He was transferred to ICE custody on Wednesday.

The Department of Homeland Security posted on social media on Friday that accusations Guevara was arrested by ICE because he is a journalist are “completely untrue.”

“Mario Guevara was arrested by DeKalb County, Georgia police for willful obstruction after he refused to comply with local police orders to move out of the middle of the street,” the DHS post stated. “This El Salvador national is in ICE custody because he entered the country illegally in 2004.”

Guevara fled El Salvador in 2004 because of his work as a political reporter. He previously worked for Mundo Hispanico, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in Georgia, before starting his own news site, MG News.

His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, has said Guevara is not a legal permanent resident but has authorization to remain and work in the United States.

Guevara is not in Gwinnett County custody, and the sheriff’s office has referred questions about his case to ICE.

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