Freedom oppressed: the journalists caught up in Trump’s ICE crackdown
Media workers are grappling with increasingly volatile press climate in US, with some detained and even deported
TL;DR
- Independent photographer John Abernathy was tackled and pepper-sprayed by ICE agents while documenting a protest in Minneapolis.
- The US Press Freedom Tracker reported 32 arrests and 170 assaults on journalists in 2025, with the trend continuing.
- Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez was arrested and detained by ICE for two weeks in March.
- Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was arrested in Georgia while covering a protest and later deported to El Salvador.
- Journalists reporting on the US third-country removal policy in countries like Cameroon have also faced detention and threats.
- A multi-outlet investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories revealed the US striking deals with third countries to accept deportees.