The prosecutor’s office of Gwinnett County, in the state of Georgia, officially announced the dismissal of the state charges filed against Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, founder of the MGNews digital channel, known for its coverage of immigration and community issues.
However, despite this judicial breakthrough, Guevara continues to be held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a federal prison in Atlanta.
Why were the charges dismissed?
According to a statement released by County Attorney General Lisamarie N. Bristol, the three state charges initially filed lacked sufficient legal basis to move forward in court.
These charges included: reckless driving, improper use of a telecommunications device and disobeying traffic signals.
Bristol explained that the alleged reckless driving and cell phone use occurred inside an apartment complex, i.e., on private property, and not on public roads.
Georgia law, he stressed, does not allow such offenses to be charged if they do not occur in public spaces.
Regarding the third charge, which is ignoring traffic signals while broadcasting live, the prosecution indicated that, although there was initially probable cause to issue the arrest warrant, a more detailed review of the case concluded that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Our prosecutorial decisions are based solely on legal standards and the sufficiency of the evidence to meet the burden required by law,” the prosecutor’s statement concluded.
Context of the arrest
Mario Guevara was arrested last June 14, 2025, while covering a protest in DeKalb County against immigration raids pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
On that occasion, he had also been charged in DeKalb, which had previously been dismissed for lack of legal merit.
Mario Guevara, who has been practicing journalism in Georgia for more than two decades, has documented raids, detentions and immigration proceedings affecting the Latino community.
His work has been widely disseminated on social networks, making him a recognized voice among immigrants and activists.
Direct request to Nayib Bukele
From the detention center, Mario Guevara sent a public letter to the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, requesting his intervention to protect the rights of Salvadorans detained in the United States.
In his message, the journalist asked the president not to ignore the suffering of those who, like him, face unjust immigration processes despite having built a life in the United States.
The letter, disseminated through Mario Guevara’s social networks, generated divided reactions both in Salvadoran circles and among Latino activists in Georgia.
The case remains symbolic of the growing tensions between strict enforcement of federal immigration laws and respect for civil liberties, including the exercise of journalism and freedom of expression in vulnerable communities.
Federal detention continues
Despite the dismissal of all state charges, Guevara remains detained at the federal detention center in Folkston, south Georgia, in ICE custody.
His legal defense, handled by the law firm Diaz & Gaeta, had succeeded in getting an immigration judge to grant him bail.
However, the federal prosecutor’s office appealed this decision, which keeps his release suspended pending the appeal.
The case has generated concern among civil and immigration rights organizations, which warn of the possible use of judicial proceedings as retaliation against journalists who document abuses.
Meanwhile, the Latino community in Georgia continues to call for his release and respect for due process.
Our prosecutorial decisions are based solely on legal standards and the sufficiency of the evidence to meet the burden required by law
