Key facts
- Journalists covering immigration issues and protests have been targeted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
- Independent photographer John Abernathy was tackled by ICE agents while documenting a protest in Minneapolis.
- Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez was arrested and detained by ICE for two weeks.
- Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was detained for over 100 days and subsequently deported to El Salvador.
- A multi-outlet investigation details US administration deals with third countries to accept deportees.
- Four journalists in Cameroon were briefly detained and warned they would be 'crushed' and 'disappear without a trace' while reporting on deported migrants.
Journalists documenting immigration enforcement and protests have become targets of aggressive tactics by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to a multi-outlet investigation.
Independent photographer John Abernathy was tackled by ICE agents in Minneapolis while covering a protest, with his camera capturing the scene of pepper spray. The US Press Freedom Tracker reported 32 arrests and 170 assaults on journalists in 2025, with the volatile climate continuing this year.
Estefany Rodríguez, a Colombian reporter covering immigration for a Spanish-language outlet, was arrested and detained for two weeks in March before a judge ordered her release. She had reported on immigration arrests at a local courthouse the day before her own arrest.
Mario Guevara, an Emmy award-winning journalist from El Salvador who had lived in the US for nearly two decades, was detained for over 100 days, largely in isolation, before being deported to El Salvador in October. Guevara, who ran an independent Spanish-language outlet and documented immigration enforcement, believes he was targeted for his journalism. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security rejected these claims, stating Guevara was arrested for obstruction of law enforcement and deported due to a prior removal order.
Journalists reporting on the US administration's third-country removal policy have also faced hostility in countries with restricted press freedom. In Cameroon, four journalists, including three from the Associated Press, were briefly detained and had their equipment confiscated while reporting on African migrants deported from the US. They were accused of trespassing and warned they would be 'crushed' and 'disappear without a trace'. Nalova Akua, one of the detained journalists, believes they were targeted for exposing a collaboration between US and Cameroonian officials.