ICE Accused of Targeting Journalists in Immigration Crackdown
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces allegations of arresting and deporting journalists investigating secretive U.S. deportation deals with third-party countries.
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing allegations of targeting journalists during an aggressive immigration crackdown. A multi-outlet investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories suggests that ICE arrested and assaulted reporters to prevent them from exposing secretive agreements between the United States and countries in Africa and Latin America to accept deportees.
Among those affected was Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested during a June 2025 protest in Atlanta and subsequently deported to El Salvador. Other reported incidents include the detention of Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez in Nashville and the tackling of photographer John Abernathy by agents during protests in Minneapolis. The crackdown extended internationally, with four journalists in Yaoundé, Cameroon, reporting detention and threats from local authorities while investigating a state-run compound housing U.S. deportees.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied that journalists were targeted. Officials stated that Guevara was deported based on local law enforcement arrests and a removal order dating back a decade.
