The family of a detained El Salvadorian journalist who was arrested while covering a protest in Georgia is calling for his release as he waits for a ruling on a recent deportation order.

The federal government has kept Mario Guevara in immigration detention for over 100 days despite an immigration judge granting him bond.

Attorneys for the ACLU say that Guevara is at risk of being sent to El Salvador at any time after the Board of Immigration Appeals reopened the journalist's 13-year-old immigration case on Friday. The board also declined to release Guevara on bond.

Following the board's ruling, the ACLU filed an emergency appeal to stay any deportation efforts. That appeal remains pending while a judge awaits the federal government's response to the recent motions.

Calls to release Mario Guevara from ICE detention

Oscar Guevara, the journalist's oldest son, says he's terrified he won't see his father again.

The 21-year-old said his dad is struggling mentally while in detention but tries to stay hopeful that he will get his day in court.

Oscar Guevara was diagnoses with a brain tumor in 2021 and a stroke during surgery. He said his dad is not only his role model but also his caretaker and that the separation has made his recovery harder.

"I need my dad home, not only for my health, but for our family's survival," he said.

Katherine Guevara, Mario's 27-year-old daughter, called her father "the center of our family."

She said she was heartbroken to hear the board's decision to begin the deportation process.

"I never thought we would find ourselves in this situation, victims of a justice system that should be protecting families, not tearing them apart," she said.

She and Oscar both called for his immediate release.

"His place is with his family and his community, not behind bars or facing deportation," she said.

Mario Guevara's arrest during "No Kings" protest

Police in DeKalb County arrested Guevara while he was livestreaming a "No Kings" rally protesting President Trump's administration on Jun 14, charging him with obstructing police, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway.

"I'm a member of the media, officer," Guevara is heard telling a police officer in a video of his arrest. The recording shows Guevara wearing a bright red shirt under a protective vest with "PRESS" printed across his chest.

Within days, DeKalb County prosecutors dismissed the charges connected with the protest. The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office then took out warrants charging Guevara with reckless driving and other counts, but the county's solicitor's office declined to prosecute the case.

ICE took custody of Guevara a few days after his arrest and refused to release him. He is now in custody at the Folkston ICE Processing Center.

An immigration judge granted Guevara a $7,500 bond in July, but the government filed a stay, claiming that his reporting on law enforcement activity was dangerous, citing a 2012 ruling denying Guevara's application for asylum.

Mario Guevara defends his work as deportation order looms

Guevara published a letter to his online news site, MGNews, on Monday, his 100th day of detention. CBS News Atlanta has translated the letter from its original Spanish for this story.

Guevara wrote that he has spent three months locked up and believes he will be sent to El Salvador.

"Life isn't always fair. If I'm deported, I'll leave with my head held high, because I'm convinced it's for carrying out my journalistic work, not for committing crimes," he wrote. "Of course, I'm leaving with a broken heart and my dignity trampled, because I've been humiliated by both federal and local authorities, and I don't believe I deserve it. Also, because they'll tear my family apart, which is what I love most in life, even though all my loved ones know it's all because of my passion for work."

Guevara fled El Salvador with his family in 2004, saying he was beaten and repeatedly harassed because of his work as a political reporter for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica. They immigrated to Georgia, where Guevara worked as a reporter for Georgia's largest Spanish-language newspaper, Mundo Hispanico, before launching his own online news site.

He said that wherever he goes, he would "continue to serve my people."