Journalists covering immigration enforcement in the United States say they were arrested, detained or deported during the Trump administration’s crackdown, affecting both U.S.-based reporters and immigrant media workers. The article cites the March arrest and two-week ICE detention of Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez in Louisiana and Alabama, the 2025 arrest and later deportation of Georgia-based Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, and the tackling and pepper-spraying of photographer John Abernathy at a Minneapolis protest; DHS disputes Guevara’s claim that he was targeted for his journalism.
Why it matters: This matters because it links immigration enforcement to press access, detention and removal, potentially affecting how immigration raids and protests are documented. Supporters of the enforcement push argue ICE is applying immigration law, while critics say journalists and protesters are being swept into aggressive tactics.
Alice Speri
2026.09.21
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct story about journalists themselves being arrested, detained or deported in the course of U.S. immigration enforcement, rather than primarily about the administration’s third-country deportation program.
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