Journalist detained immigration ICE Mario Guevara Atlanta.

A Spanish-language journalist who lived and worked in Georgia has been deported to El Salvador. Mario Guevara was detained in June while covering a protest near Atlanta. Local police arrested him and handed him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Wednesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt his deportation order. All criminal charges against him were dismissed, and his lawyers argued he was being targeted for his journalism work. Guevara fled El Salvador two decades ago and built a large audience in Atlanta.

Lawyers for a Spanish-language journalist detained since June are worried he could be deported after an unfavorable ruling. Mario Guevara was arrested in June while covering a protest near Atlanta and handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An immigration judge set a bond for him in July, but he remained in custody while the government appealed. On Friday, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed the government’s appeal, saying it is moot. Guevara’s lawyers argue the ruling is based on incorrect information and have filed for an emergency hearing seeking to have him released from custody.