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{
"title": "Kristi Noem targets press, leakers as homeland security secretary",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kristi-noem-targets-press-leakers-as-homeland-security-secretary/",
"first_published_at": "2025-04-03T16:42:15.375266Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-02T16:12:29.760558Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-02T15:41:45.164901Z",
"date": "2025-07-01",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7xkxf\">Shortly after President Donald Trump’s second term began, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined Trump in taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that have covered him and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting her efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"46hnn\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"9spoe\"><i>This article was first published on March 14, 2025.</i></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"3aacq\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p>\r\n<div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#July 1\">July 1, 2025 | DHS secretary announces efforts to criminally charge CNN over reporting</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#May 20\">May 20, 2025 | DHS secretary oversees ‘unprecedented’ use of polygraphs to identify leakers</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#March 9\">March 9, 2025 | DHS secretary pledges to use lie detectors to identify leakers</a>\r\n<p><a href=\"#March 7\">March 7, 2025 | DHS secretary threatens to sue South Dakota newspaper over coverage</a></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"7xkxf\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"87b1q\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"July 1\" name=\"July 1\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"p32dz\">July 1, 2025 | DHS secretary announces efforts to criminally charge CNN over reporting</h4><p data-block-key=\"e7tv7\">Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters during a trip to a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Florida on July 1, 2025, that her department was looking to prosecute CNN over its reporting on an app that allows users to track ICE agents.</p><p data-block-key=\"ddmfn\">CNN <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/tech/iceblock-app-trump-immigration-crackdown\">reported</a> June 30 on the new platform, called ICEBlock, noting that the developer behind the controversial app created it as an “early warning system” so users can avoid interactions with ICE, not to interfere with the agency’s operations.</p><p data-block-key=\"4e1j9\">Noem <a href=\"https://x.com/KristiNoem/status/1940101932455985177\">posted a clip</a> from the CNN report on the social platform X, writing that it “sure looks like obstruction of justice.”</p><p data-block-key=\"73hea\">“Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500% increase in assaults against them,” Noem wrote. “If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This sure looks like obstruction of justice. Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500% increase in assaults against them. <br><br>If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. <a href=\"https://t.co/9w3msUhgB0\">pic.twitter.com/9w3msUhgB0</a></p>— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1940101932455985177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"p32dz\">While it was unclear whether the post was referencing the app or CNN’s reporting on it, Noem made her stance clear when she was directly asked by a reporter during the Florida visit whether CNN should be charged for “pushing” the app.</p><p data-block-key=\"6b2o6\">“We’re working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them,” Noem <a href=\"https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1940069653268599097\">said</a>, “because what they’re doing is actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities and operations. We’re going to actually go after them and prosecute them. What they’re doing is illegal.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5g3ir\">President Donald Trump, who was with Noem and the Florida ICE facility, agreed, saying he would support the move to prosecute the network.</p><p data-block-key=\"1tfjo\">Trump added that CNN should also be charged for what he said were “false reports on the attack on Iran.” He has <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/e5a7cc6b7eb2/\">repeatedly</a> <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/edf14355c8b0/\">alleged</a> that both CNN and The New York Times falsified reporting on the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/0947da548603/\">called</a> for the journalists behind the reports to be fired.</p><p data-block-key=\"35vde\">CNN defended its reporting in a <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/trump-kristi-noem-cnn-threat\">statement to The Guardian</a>, noting that the app is free and publicly available. “There is nothing illegal about reporting the existence of this or any other app, nor does such reporting constitute promotion or other endorsement of the app by CNN,” the spokesperson said.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"May 20\" name=\"May 20\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"vkbuz\">May 20, 2025 | DHS secretary oversees ‘unprecedented’ use of polygraphs to identify leakers</h4><p data-block-key=\"8o3a\">Under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security employees are being subjected to polygraph exams, The Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/dhs-kristi-noem-employee-polygraph-tests-7249fc38\">reported</a> on May 20, 2025. Noem had announced her intention to use such tests as part of her efforts to clamp down on leaks.</p><p data-block-key=\"anunu\">According to the Journal, employees — ranging from agency leadership to designated media liaisons — are being specifically questioned about whether they’ve been sharing unapproved information with the media, even if it isn’t classified.</p><p data-block-key=\"9qlo\">DHS employees told the newspaper that the scale of polygraphing is unprecedented, and that the seeming randomness of who is selected for an exam and why has had a chilling effect.</p><p data-block-key=\"f7cpb\">“Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security,” said Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for DHS. “We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant—we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”</p><p data-block-key=\"ddcl3\">Both Noem and Madison Sheahan, deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have reportedly threatened employees with polygraphs and Noem has personally requested that certain employees be examined.</p><p data-block-key=\"3hb7f\">National Intelligence Director <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/tulsi-gabbard-targets-press-leakers-as-national-intelligence-director/#March%2014\">Tulsi Gabbard</a>, Defense Secretary <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/pete-hegseth-targets-news-outlets-leakers-as-defense-secretary/\">Pete Hegseth</a> and FBI Director <a href=\"/all-incidents/kash-patel-targets-press-leakers-as-fbi-director/\">Kash Patel</a> have also announced the use of polygraphs to identify leakers in their agencies.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"March 9\" name=\"March 9\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"7xkxf\">March 9, 2025 | DHS secretary pledges to use lie detectors to identify leakers</h4><p data-block-key=\"819t1\">Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed during an <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kristi-noem-homeland-security-secretary-face-the-nation-transcript-03-09-2025/\">appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation”</a> on March 9, 2025, that the department would subject employees to polygraph exams as part of its investigation into the source of leaks to the media.</p><p data-block-key=\"155vd\">Noem <a href=\"https://x.com/KristiNoem/status/1898099666245333409\">announced on March 7</a> that two individuals who allegedly leaked details about immigration enforcement operations have been identified and will face felony prosecution. She told CBS two days later that the leak investigations are ongoing and that she plans on using the full power of her office to ensure “that we’re following the law, that we are following the procedures in place to keep people safe.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4fdfm\">“Anyone who is leaking information outside of how something is planned for the safety of those law enforcement officers needs to be held accountable for that,” Noem added.</p><p data-block-key=\"frng9\">The Associated Press <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/ice-deportation-immigration-dhs-kristi-noem-leak-cf09189abaa6147a0c990225c2d27bad\">reported</a> that while polygraphs are not typically admissible in court, they are often used by federal law enforcement, including for national security clearances.</p><p data-block-key=\"6ti0m\">“The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the news agency. “We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div>\r\n<a id=\"March 7\" name=\"March 7\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"7xkxf\">March 7, 2025 | DHS secretary threatens to sue South Dakota newspaper over coverage</h4><p data-block-key=\"2mvq\">A personal attorney for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened on March 7, 2025, to sue The Dakota Scout, an independent newspaper based in Sioux City, South Dakota, after the outlet <a href=\"https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/sec-kristi-noems-use-of-taxpayer\">reported</a> on Noem’s use of two taxpayer-backed credit cards.</p><p data-block-key=\"alrhi\">The Scout and KSFL-TV reviewed thousands of pages of credit card receipts totaling approximately $650,000 from Noem’s tenure as the state’s governor. The bulk of the expenses were on airfare, rental cars and hotel accommodations for Noem’s security detail, in connection with her appearances at campaign rallies and as a speaker at conservative events, according to the Scout.</p><p data-block-key=\"qsrs\">In a cease and desist letter emailed to the Scout in the early hours of March 7, Noem’s personal lawyer Trevor Stanley alleged that the outlet had published “false, misleading, and inaccurate statements” concerning the spending, KSFL-TV <a href=\"https://www.siouxfallslive.com/news/sioux-falls/kristi-noem-threatens-to-sue-the-dakota-scout-over-credit-card-records\">reported</a>. Stanley specifically asserted that Noem had only personally charged $2,000, and demanded that the outlet stop reporting differently.</p><p data-block-key=\"4ig77\">“Otherwise, we will consider all legal remedies, including a lawsuit seeking maximum compensatory and punitive damages, that we estimate at millions of dollars,” Stanley wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"57k52\">According to a <a href=\"https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/prisons-pipelines-and-pragmatism\">podcast</a> with Scout co-founders and reporters Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis, they only obtained the receipts after filing a lawsuit to obtain the public records. They were also threatened with a restraining order to claw back the files after they were released.</p><p data-block-key=\"4qful\">Sneve said that Noem’s cease and desist letter is a blatant attempt to chill their reporting, and that he wouldn’t stand idle when individuals attempt to “saber rattle” in order to “intimidate good, honest reporters who are just trying to provide a service that shouldn’t even be hard to provide.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7d8ec\">The newsroom, he added, remains undaunted. “I would highly doubt they even file a lawsuit,” Sneve said. “And if they did, I’m not losing any sleep over that.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"7ydzv\">Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks to employees at department headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2025.</p>",
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{
"title": "Kari Lake targets press as senior adviser for U.S. Agency for Global Media",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/kari-lake-targets-press-as-senior-adviser-for-us-agency-for-global-media/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-01T21:23:37.153234Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-01T21:23:37.153234Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-01T21:23:32.825548Z",
"date": "2025-06-25",
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"city": "Washington",
"longitude": -77.03637,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uwxu3\">After President Donald Trump began his second term, senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake joined Trump in taking steps to intimidate leakers and news outlets that have covered him and his administration unfavorably. We’re documenting her efforts in this regularly updated report.</p><p data-block-key=\"44h40\">Read about how Trump’s appointees and allies in Congress are striving to chill reporting, revoke funding, censor critical coverage and more <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/trump-allies-pursue-multipronged-campaign-against-the-press/\">here</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"end4j\"><i>This article was first published on July 1, 2025.</i></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"91i6j\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><p><a id=\"top\" name=\"top\"></a></p>\r\n<div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#June 25\">June 25, 2025 | Kari Lake urges Congress to eliminate Voice of America, gut oversight agency</a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"uwxu3\"></p><hr/><p data-block-key=\"ethfe\"></p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><a id=\"June 25\" name=\"June 25\"></a></div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><h4 data-block-key=\"uwxu3\">June 25, 2025 | Kari Lake urges Congress to eliminate Voice of America, gut oversight agency</h4><p data-block-key=\"bsdgt\">Kari Lake, senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on June 25, 2025, and urged Congress to gut Voice of America and the other federally-funded news organizations that she oversees.</p><p data-block-key=\"32g8o\">During the <a href=\"https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/spies-lies-and-mismanagement-examining-the-u-s-agency-for-global-medias-downfall/\">hearing</a>, which was titled “Spies, Lies, and Mismanagement: Examining the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Downfall,” Lake said in her opening statement that USAGM was unsalvageable, later referring to it as “a rotten piece of fish.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5l6bt\">“Within days in my role as senior adviser, it became increasingly clear that reform was nearly impossible,” Lake said. “The agency was incompetent and mismanaged and deeply corrupt, politically biased and, frankly, a serious threat to our national security.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3oclg\">Lake went on to defend proposed cuts to the agency and the global news organizations it funds, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Radio y Televisión Martí. She also called on members of Congress to amend the laws mandating VOA’s existence.</p><p data-block-key=\"e26rv\">“What is going out on VOA airwaves — it’s outrageous, and it has to stop,” she said, adding that much of the reporting being published by VOA and other USAGM-funded outlets is “biased” and “corrupt.”</p><p data-block-key=\"322dn\">Lake’s statements mirrored <a href=\"https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114746687764542304\">those</a> <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/c61b2e99f685/\">made</a> <a href=\"https://taps.pressfreedomtracker.us/post/58c3a55600e1/\">by</a> President Donald Trump since at least 2023. In a <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/trump-administration-allies-move-to-punish-outlets-during-first-weeks-in-office/#March%2014-2\">late-night executive order</a> on March 14, 2025, Trump eliminated all USAGM functions not required by law. The following day, the White House posted a news release that railed against “the Voice of Radical America” and the director of VOA confirmed that nearly the entire staff of the news organization had been suspended.</p><p data-block-key=\"4uduq\">A federal judge <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/voice-of-america-trump-a1ed0ad37917055a1565da5325bd4fd8\">ordered</a> the administration to halt efforts to fire or furlough employees at the news agency at the end of March, and another judge <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/politics/judge-trump-voice-of-america.html\">reversed</a> VOA’s closure April 22, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3m0g0\">Lake <a href=\"https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2025/04/25/kari-lakes-agency-appeals-voa-restart-ruling/83257698007/\">appealed</a> the ruling two days later, blocking operations at the outlet from restarting and, days before the June Congressional hearing, <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/us/politics/voice-america-layoffs.html\">issued hundreds of termination notices</a> to VOA and USAGM staff.</p><p data-block-key=\"6pf2e\">The layoffs were rescinded June 27 after errors were discovered that could have derailed efforts to dismantle the organization, <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/us/politics/trump-voa-layoffs-errors.html\">according to The New York Times</a>.</p><p data-block-key=\"cocac\">No news has been published on <a href=\"https://www.voanews.com/\">VOA’s website</a> since March.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-raw_html\"><div class=\"article-content__block rich-text\"><p data-block-key=\"258po\">\r\n<p><a href=\"#top\"><i>Back to Top</i></a></p></div></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
"teaser_image": "https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/AP25063688411091.2e16d0ba.fill-1330x880.jpg",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"lf2ic\">Kari Lake, senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 21, 2025.</p>",
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{
"title": "New York Daily News reporter banned by mayor from future news conferences",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-york-daily-news-reporter-banned-by-mayor-from-future-news-conferences/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-18T21:25:53.905902Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-03T20:10:56.407544Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-03T20:10:56.312652Z",
"date": "2025-06-17",
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"city": "New York",
"longitude": -74.00597,
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"4fnvd\">New York Daily News reporter Chris Sommerfeldt was barred by Mayor Eric Adams from attending future press conferences after Sommerfeldt called out a question to the mayor during a news briefing on June 17, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"r9t4\">In a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/rWCiOGH1Juo?feature=shared&t=2180\">video</a> posted by the mayor’s office of an announcement on housing, Adams is seen opening the floor and taking questions from other reporters.</p><p data-block-key=\"2ainn\">After Sommerfeldt attempts to ask a question, Adams responds in a mocking tone, “You’re calling out a lot, Chris. Stop calling out. You must have done that in school.”</p><p data-block-key=\"aps20\">The mayor then turns gruff, saying, “You’re not going to be disruptive in our conferences. You’re going to stop at the gate. You do that again, you’re going to stop at the gate. You’re not going to come into this conference off topic, be disrespectful, and call out and think you’re going to do what you want.”</p><p data-block-key=\"emu0s\">After Sommerfeldt calls out again, Adams responds, turning aside to staff and saying, “He did it again, make sure security knows he’s not allowed back into this room.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3a6a2\">Daily News Executive Editor Andrew Julien, in a statement issued via email to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, said, “Our reporters have the right to ask questions, and taxpayers aren’t funding the police to keep reporters out of City Hall press conferences.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4jovk\">The union that represents Daily News reporters and staff later <a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/nydnunion.bsky.social/post/3lrt2k7wjkk2h\">wrote the mayor</a> demanding that he reverse the restriction. “To ban a reporter from future press conferences for doing the very thing a press conference is designed to facilitate—asking a question—shows a flagrant disregard for the role of the press and for our colleagues’ professionalism,” the union wrote.</p><p data-block-key=\"do2k2\">The union’s letter also noted that Adams had not called on Sommerfeldt during press conferences for the past three months.</p><p data-block-key=\"25q8c\">The mayor’s press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/nyregion/eric-adams-reporter-ny-daily-news.html\">told The New York Times</a> that she didn’t know Sommerfeldt hadn’t been called on for that long. But Katie Honan, a reporter at The City, <a href=\"https://x.com/katie_honan/status/1935132228134048244\">said on social media</a>, “This is a blatant lie.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5btpo\">Other journalists took to social media to criticize the mayor.</p><p data-block-key=\"4jet1\">Craig McCarthy, City Hall bureau chief at the New York Post, <a href=\"https://x.com/createcraig\">said</a> that Sommerfeldt was not interrupting: “He injected a follow-up question during a pause, actually furthering the line of questioning from Politico.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7183c\">Joe Anuta, who covers City Hall for Politico NY, also <a href=\"https://x.com/joeanuta/status/1935138148582892007\">confirmed</a> that the mayor’s teams hadn’t called on Sommerfeldt for months. “Chris does not interrupt other reporters. Let him ask his Qs like the rest of us,” he added.</p><p data-block-key=\"bivud\">The New York Press Club <a href=\"https://x.com/NYPressClub/status/1935160888551514450\">responded to the ban</a>, saying, “We are reaching the height of absurdity when the Mayor of New York City is applying a hostile tactic seen in the White House.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5a6du\">The Tracker reached out to Adams’ press office for comment but did not receive a response.</p><p data-block-key=\"2qv3d\">“Chris was doing his job,” the union wrote the mayor. “The only person being disrespectful is you.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"asse9\">New York City Mayor Eric Adams, above, at a June 17 news conference, where he said he would bar New York Daily News reporter Chris Sommerfeldt from attending future briefings.</p>",
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"name": "New York",
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"updates": [
"(2025-06-24 20:09:00+00:00) Reporter allowed back in NYC mayor’s briefings, but his questions remain ignored"
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{
"title": "New charges filed against Spanish-language journalist amid ICE detention",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-charges-filed-against-spanish-language-journalist-amid-ice-detention/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-26T20:40:26.308791Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-03T22:06:05.710180Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-03T22:06:05.571495Z",
"date": "2025-06-17",
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"city": "Lawrenceville",
"longitude": -83.98796,
"latitude": 33.95621,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5a5sw\">Immigration reporter <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/spanish-language-reporter-arrested-at-atlanta-area-protest-faces-deportation/\">Mario Guevara,</a> currently in federal custody and facing possible deportation, was charged June 17 with three additional misdemeanors for traffic violations that allegedly occurred more than a month before his mid-June arrest at a protest near Atlanta.</p><p data-block-key=\"e31ee\">Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist who has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, was arrested during a “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump in Chamblee, Georgia. The demonstration coincided with a military parade attended by Trump in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.</p><p data-block-key=\"fpl4u\">Guevara was livestreaming the protest to over a million followers when Doraville police arrested him. At the time, he was wearing a press vest and helmet and repeatedly identified himself as a journalist. He was later charged with obstruction, unlawful assembly and walking on a roadway.</p><p data-block-key=\"c255g\">On June 18, Guevara was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after federal immigration officials placed a detainer on him. Guevara, who lacks permanent legal status, has work authorization and a potential path to a green card through his U.S.-citizen son.</p><p data-block-key=\"2dcbe\">The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office then filed three new misdemeanor charges — distracted driving, reckless driving and failure to obey a traffic control device — against Guevara. The new charges appear to stem from an incident 31 days earlier, when he was reportedly livestreaming immigration enforcement activity while driving.</p><p data-block-key=\"29rvc\">The incidents listed in the warrants happened on May 13 and May 20, but the warrants weren’t taken out against Guevara until June 17, his attorney Giovanni Diaz said in a video news update posted to the social platform Facebook.</p><p data-block-key=\"967g8\">“We’ve only been able to see the warrants. We’re trying to get a little more information,” Diaz said in Spanish. “I think the timing, to a lot of people, is a bit concerning. I’ll allow other folks to speculate about that.”</p><p data-block-key=\"55eum\">Diaz did not return U.S. Press Freedom Tracker requests for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ldm\">In a statement provided to the <a href=\"https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/gwinnett-sheriffs-office-claims-ice-detained-jour[%E2%80%A6]ations/article_f66891f7-737e-4780-9cce-d735c9f65858.html\">Gwinnett Daily Post</a>, the sheriff’s office claimed Guevara “compromised operational integrity” and “jeopardized the safety of victims of the case, investigators, and Gwinnett County residents” during an unrelated investigation.</p><p data-block-key=\"9f008\">A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office denied a Tracker request for the arrest warrants, stating that they are still active and an investigation is ongoing.</p><p data-block-key=\"ab5md\">In an interview with <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/ice-moves-to-deport-atlanta-based-hispanic-reporter-who-covered-immigration-raids/\">The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a> this spring, Guevara reflected on the risks of his reporting: “My lawyers are asking me to tone it down, to not be so aggressive,” he said. “I’m acting as if I were a citizen … but I’m not scared.”</p><p data-block-key=\"7food\">In response to mounting public scrutiny, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on social media June 20 denying that Guevara’s detention was related to his journalism.</p><p data-block-key=\"5bj4f\">“This El Salvador national is in ICE custody because he entered the country illegally in 2004,” the agency said. “He was arrested for willful obstruction after refusing lawful orders.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FALSE. Accusations that Mario Guevara was arrested by ICE because he is a journalist are completely untrue.<br><br>Mario Guevera was arrested by Dekalb County, Georgia police for willful obstruction after he refused to comply with local police orders to move out of the middle of the… <a href=\"https://t.co/xolCZrys93\">pic.twitter.com/xolCZrys93</a></p>— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1936066664019243248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 20, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"5a5sw\">In 2012, an immigration court denied Guevara’s asylum application and issued a deportation order. That case was later administratively closed — a discretionary decision that paused removal proceedings. He built his reputation covering immigration enforcement in Georgia for Mundo Hispanico before founding his own outlet, MGNews.</p><p data-block-key=\"2nf5m\">The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Guevara’s release and for removal proceedings to be dropped in a June 20 letter with a coalition of local and national civil society and media groups (including Freedom of the Press Foundation, of which the Tracker is a project). The letter warned that his continued detention raises serious press freedom concerns.</p><p data-block-key=\"91n3c\">“If Guevara’s case proceeds, it would represent a grim erosion of both freedom of the press and the rule of law,” <a href=\"https://cpj.org/2025/06/cpj-partners-express-alarm-over-detention-of-journalist-mario-guevara-by-us-immigration-authorities/\">the letter stated</a>. “Journalists who are not U.S. citizens could be at risk of deportation solely because local law enforcement filed misdemeanor charges against them in retaliation for reporting without those charges ever being tried in court.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"primary_video": null,
"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"2pkc1\">Police with reporter Mario Guevara during an immigration protest in metro Atlanta on June 14, 2025. Guevara was arrested while livestreaming the event, later transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and now faces additional charges.</p>",
"arresting_authority": "Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office",
"arrest_status": "charged without arrest",
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"detention_date": "2025-06-14",
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"name": "Georgia",
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],
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"immigration",
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{
"title": "Spanish-language reporter arrested at Atlanta-area protest; faces deportation",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/spanish-language-reporter-arrested-at-atlanta-area-protest-faces-deportation/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-25T17:04:05.662466Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-03T22:05:43.981161Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-03T22:05:43.867417Z",
"date": "2025-06-14",
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"city": "Chamblee",
"longitude": -84.29881,
"latitude": 33.89205,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hmhvl\">Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language reporter who covers immigration issues, was arrested at an anti-Trump protest in Chamblee, Georgia, near Atlanta, on June 14, 2025, according to multiple media accounts.</p><p data-block-key=\"8l8if\">He is now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faces deportation.</p><p data-block-key=\"fh52r\">The protest was one of hundreds of “No Kings” demonstrations nationwide that denounced President Donald Trump’s administration and were organized against the backdrop of a Washington, D.C., military parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army.</p><p data-block-key=\"589uf\">Guevara, one of eight people arrested at the DeKalb County, Georgia, protest, was taken into custody as he livestreamed the demonstration to his social media audience of more than 1 million followers.</p><p data-block-key=\"4j3v3\">In his <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/video/news/2025/06/influential-hispanic-reporter-who-tracks-ice-agents-arrested-at-protest/\">Facebook Live</a> video, Guevara wore a helmet and a vest that identified him as press.</p><p data-block-key=\"egm02\">“We’re going to move a little bit because the authorities are advancing this way,” he said in Spanish. “The police are moving forward quickly.”</p><p data-block-key=\"5p3jh\">As he walked beside a group of police officers in riot gear, he was taken into custody, his cellphone falling to the ground. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was unable to confirm whether his phone was damaged.</p><p data-block-key=\"etpt0\">“Officer, officer. I’m a member of the media,” he said before the video abruptly ended. “Let me finish.”</p><p data-block-key=\"bf0m6\">Guevara, a Salvadoran native who has been in the U.S. for over 20 years, was taken into custody by the Doraville Police Department and charged with obstruction of law enforcement, unlawful assembly, and walking along a roadway, <a href=\"https://portal-gadekalb.tylertech.cloud/app/ViewJailing/#/jailing/1529484\">according to police records.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"2a131\">Guevara built a social media following by reporting on ICE activities in Atlanta. He started his own media company, MGNews, and has been covering ICE since Trump’s first term, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/additional-criminal-charges-filed-against-immigration-reporter-in-ice-detention/\">according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.</a></p><p data-block-key=\"1rq4l\">“My lawyers are asking me to tone it down, to not be so aggressive,” Guevara <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/ice-moves-to-deport-atlanta-based-hispanic-reporter-who-covered-immigration-raids/\">told the newspaper</a> in an interview about his work earlier this spring. “I’m acting as if I were a citizen … but I’m not scared.”</p><p data-block-key=\"3ag22\">After Guevara’s arrest, his attorney, Giovanni Diaz, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/ice-moves-to-deport-atlanta-based-hispanic-reporter-who-covered-immigration-raids/\">told the Journal-Constitution</a> that ICE had issued a “detainer” against the journalist — typically an initial move in the deportation process.</p><p data-block-key=\"37q45\">ICE detainers are requests asking local jails to keep individuals in custody for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release, giving federal immigration authorities time to take them into custody.</p><p data-block-key=\"320dr\">On June 18, he was transferred to Georgia’s Folkston ICE Processing Center.</p><p data-block-key=\"63dvv\">In a June 20 <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C7dXE5Uqb/\">Facebook video</a>, Diaz said Guevara should never have been arrested and that his firm is negotiating with the county to drop the charges. He said he is also preparing a bond request to secure Guevara’s release so he can fight his immigration case while free.</p><p data-block-key=\"ckavd\">Diaz told the Journal-Constitution that Guevara lacks permanent legal status, although he has work authorization and a path to a green card through his son, who is a U.S. citizen. Diaz did not immediately return a Tracker request for comment.</p><p data-block-key=\"35n62\">In a post on social platform X, the Department of Homeland Security said accusations that Guevara was arrested by ICE because he is a journalist were “completely untrue” and that he was arrested for willful obstruction after he refused to comply with local police orders to move out of the street.</p><p data-block-key=\"etrri\">“Following his arrest by local authorities, ICE placed a detainer on him. Following his release, he was turned over to ICE custody and has been placed in removal proceedings,” the statement said. “This El Salvador national is in ICE custody because he entered the country illegally in 2004.”</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-tweet\"><div class=\"tweet-embed\">\n <div>\n <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FALSE. Accusations that Mario Guevara was arrested by ICE because he is a journalist are completely untrue.<br><br>Mario Guevera was arrested by Dekalb County, Georgia police for willful obstruction after he refused to comply with local police orders to move out of the middle of the… <a href=\"https://t.co/xolCZrys93\">pic.twitter.com/xolCZrys93</a></p>— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1936066664019243248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 20, 2025</a></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n\n\n</div>\n\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"hmhvl\">Guevara fled El Salvador with his family in 2004 after he was beaten and repeatedly harassed because of his work as a political reporter for the newspaper La Prensa Grafica, <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/journalist-detained-immigration-ice-mario-guevarra-atlanta-77158055cda30f6be3707fb40bf661d6\">The Associated Press reported</a>. He later worked as a reporter for Georgia’s largest Spanish-language newspaper, Mundo Hispanico, the AP reported.</p><p data-block-key=\"7chb6\">In 2012, a court rejected Guevara’s request for asylum and issued a deportation order, according to the Constitution-Journal. However, the journalist later received administrative closure, a legal process that permits an immigration judge to pause deportation proceedings.</p><p data-block-key=\"8ln7i\">After Guevara was transferred to ICE custody on June 18, <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/new-charges-filed-against-spanish-language-journalist-amid-ice-detention/\">additional misdemeanor charges</a> were filed against him, according to the Journal-Constitution. The new charges appear to stem from an incident 31 days earlier, when he was reportedly livestreaming immigration enforcement activity while driving.</p><p data-block-key=\"f3tlk\">On June 20, the Committee to Protect Journalists <a href=\"https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DHS_Mario-Guevara_CPJ.pdf\">wrote a letter</a> to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem denouncing Guevara’s detention and asking that he be released on bond and removal proceedings be dropped.</p><p data-block-key=\"63o5c\">“It is chilling to think of the press freedom implications of a reporter facing deportation simply because they are leveled with misdemeanor charges that directly contradict the First Amendment,” the letter said.</p><p data-block-key=\"1rvk4\"><i>Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify that Mario Guevara’s phone was knocked to the ground in the course of his arrest, and is no longer listed under the Tracker’s Assault category.</i></p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"07iou\">Mario Guevara, left, an Atlanta-area Spanish-language reporter, covers a local protest against immigration enforcement on Feb. 1, 2025. Guevara was arrested while livestreaming a metro Atlanta demonstration on June 14, 2025.</p>",
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"(2025-06-25 20:44:00+00:00) Initial charges dropped against Guevara, but deportation threat remains",
"(2025-07-03 22:01:00+00:00) Guevara remains in custody after being granted bail"
],
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{
"title": "Photojournalist hit in the arm with projectile shot by LAPD",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-hit-in-the-arm-with-projectile-shot-by-lapd/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-03T14:06:16.286606Z",
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"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"j9ezt\">Independent photojournalist Ron Haviv was shot in the arm by a Los Angeles Police Department officer on June 14, 2025, while documenting a protest for The New Republic.</p><p data-block-key=\"69rsp\">Haviv, the co-founder of documentary producer VII Foundation, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email that he was in downtown Los Angeles to photograph a “No Kings” rally, one of <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-military-parade-no-kings-protests-06-14-25\">more than 2,000</a> held across the country to protest the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration, and planned to coincide with a military parade held in Washington, D.C., and Trump’s birthday.</p><p data-block-key=\"7fpcf\">The rally also followed<a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-06&date_upper=2025-06-13&state=California&tags=protest%2Cimmigration\"> days of protests</a> in Los Angeles and nearby towns against recent federal raids, part of the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown.</p><p data-block-key=\"a9alh\">After the protest ended, Haviv said, he witnessed confrontations around City Hall and the Metropolitan Detention Center between protesters and law enforcement, which included LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers, with LAPD officers attempting to push protesters off the streets.</p><p data-block-key=\"fdco0\">Haviv was close to the police line, not near any protesters and “not much was happening on either side,” he said, when he was hit in the arm by a 40 mm crowd-control projectile shot by an LAPD officer — the first time, he said, that he’s been shot or shot at by U.S. law enforcement while working.</p><p data-block-key=\"67pav\">Haviv was wearing press credentials, he said, but didn’t know if he had been targeted as a journalist. None of his equipment was damaged, but he had to seek medical help for the injury, which weeks after the incident was still bruised and in the process of healing.</p><p data-block-key=\"eo6ed\">He said he is considering his legal options.</p><p data-block-key=\"dndjn\">Haviv noted that the protesters were mostly peaceful and that law enforcement’s response therefore seemed disproportionate. “The combination of horses, tear gas and rubber bullets seemed to be a higher amount than necessary for what was happening on the ground,” he said.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"ph3rm\">Law enforcement officers at protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025. Photojournalist Ron Haviv was shot in the arm with a crowd-control munition by a Los Angeles Police Department officer while covering one of the demonstrations.</p>",
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{
"title": "Journalist struck, shoved by police at Philadelphia immigration protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-struck-shoved-by-police-at-philadelphia-immigration-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-23T20:52:13.552276Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-23T20:52:13.552276Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-23T20:52:13.469687Z",
"date": "2025-06-14",
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"city": "Philadelphia",
"longitude": -75.16362,
"latitude": 39.95238,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"2h9i2\">Unicorn Riot reporter and editor Chris Schiano was struck and shoved by police while reporting on an anti-deportation march in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 14, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"2n2ni\">Schiano told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was covering the immigration enforcement protest, separate from the “No Kings” protest in Philadelphia the same day. The march began around 6 p.m. at the Federal Detention Center in the Center City neighborhood and continued around nearby streets.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3f8n\">Bicycle officers from the Philadelphia Police Department began working to encircle the protesters, who in turn used improvised barriers to slow down the police, Schiano told the Tracker. He said officers finally surrounded the demonstrators at around 7 p.m. outside a Holiday Inn Express hotel.</p><p data-block-key=\"dahio\">Schiano filmed protesters as they fled the scene until two police officers slammed their bikes into the journalist and ordered him to move. “I only heard their orders by the time I was already being struck,” Schiano said.</p><p data-block-key=\"cln98\">Schiano said he was wearing a vest with “PRESS” written across it in large white letters, as well as his Unicorn Riot press pass.</p><p data-block-key=\"51kpj\">“I’m a journalist. I’m a journalist, sir,” Schiano told the police in <a href=\"https://x.com/UR_Ninja/status/1934056638958452822\">a video of the incident</a>. “Move back,” a police officer said as he shoved Schiano. At that moment, the reporter told the Tracker he worried he would be hit again.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3r4i\">Looking back, Schiano says he has the “strong impression” that the police didn’t care that he was a journalist. He added that he did not sustain any injuries.</p><p data-block-key=\"45s9b\">After that incident, Schiano said he was caught in the kettle for about one more minute before he was allowed to leave with the remaining protesters.</p><p data-block-key=\"83icd\">The reporter said he then documented protesters being followed by dozens of police officers on motorcycles. While filming, Schiano said police officers sped up and came “within an inch or so of striking me.” The people Schiano was following eventually dispersed, and the police on motorbikes stopped following them.</p><p data-block-key=\"boqqm\">Schiano filed a complaint against the police over the incident June 22.</p><p data-block-key=\"26u4a\">When reached by email for comment, PPD spokesperson Jasmine Colón-Reilly said, “The role of the Philadelphia Police Department is not to interfere with the expression of any First Amendment rights, but to manage public safety during demonstrations to prevent the loss of life, injury, or property damage, and minimize disruption to persons (and communities) who are uninvolved; as well as those who are involved.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"romx1\">A Philadelphia Police Department officer shouts at Unicorn Riot journalist Chris Schiano moments after hitting him with a police bicycle and pushing the journalist back amid anti-deportation protests on June 14, 2025.</p>",
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"state": {
"name": "Pennsylvania",
"abbreviation": "PA"
},
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"tags": [
"immigration",
"protest"
],
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"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Christopher Schiano (Unicorn Riot)"
],
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{
"title": "Photojournalist shot with rubber bullet by law enforcement at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photojournalist-shot-with-rubber-bullet-by-law-enforcement-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-07-01T20:11:59.275933Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-07-01T20:11:59.275933Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-07-01T20:11:59.086784Z",
"date": "2025-06-14",
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"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"9pvcx\">A photojournalist for news agency Agence France-Presse was struck with crowd-control munitions by law enforcement officers while documenting a protest against the Trump administration in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"e8ik8\">The protest in downtown Los Angeles was one of hundreds of “No Kings” demonstrations held nationwide to counter a military parade attended by President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It also followed <a href=\"https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/?date_lower=2025-06-06&date_upper=2025-06-13&state=California&tags=protest%2Cimmigration\">days of protests</a> in the city and nearby towns against recent federal raids, part of the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown.</p><p data-block-key=\"be5r9\">The photojournalist, who asked to remain anonymous, <a href=\"https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250617-afp-photographer-shot-in-face-with-rubber-bullet-at-la-protest\">told France 24</a> that he was wearing two cameras, a helmet with AFP stickers and a patch on his chest that said “Press.”</p><p data-block-key=\"4vu5m\">He said he was about 90 feet away from law enforcement officers when they advanced on the protesters and began firing rubber bullets. Two struck him in the face and right arm.</p><p data-block-key=\"8g163\">The photojournalist told the news network that he went to the hospital to be treated for his injuries from the shots.</p><p data-block-key=\"7hk74\">France 24 asked both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department about the shooting; neither agency claimed responsibility.</p><p data-block-key=\"5159c\">The police department told AFP that “less-lethal munitions were used to clear the area of those who refused to comply and leave the area.” The Sheriff’s Department said that it “does not condone any actions that intentionally target members of the press.”</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
"teaser": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"f9wuu\">Los Angeles Police Department officers advance on protesters on June 14, 2025. An Agence France-Presse photojournalist was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by law enforcement while covering the protest against the Trump administration.</p>",
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"name": "California",
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},
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"immigration",
"protest",
"shot / shot at"
],
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"authors": [],
"categories": [
"Assault"
],
"targeted_journalists": [
"Unidentified photojournalist 38 (Agence France-Presse [France])"
],
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},
{
"title": "Photographer struck and injured by tear gas canister at LA protest",
"url": "https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/photographer-struck-and-injured-by-tear-gas-canister-at-la-protest/",
"first_published_at": "2025-06-24T17:02:44.424941Z",
"last_published_at": "2025-06-24T17:02:44.424941Z",
"latest_revision_created_at": "2025-06-24T17:02:44.339334Z",
"date": "2025-06-14",
"exact_date_unknown": false,
"city": "Los Angeles",
"longitude": -118.24368,
"latitude": 34.05223,
"body": "<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ql2i2\">Photojournalist <a href=\"https://www.hectoradolfoquintanarperez.com/\">Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez</a> was struck with a tear gas canister fired by police while documenting an immigration enforcement protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025.</p><p data-block-key=\"d3vvl\">It was one of numerous protests in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.</p><p data-block-key=\"c3cv4\">Quintanar, a Mexican stringer working for Zuma Press, said that at the start of the protest, a group of Los Angeles Police Department officers — some on horseback — arrived outside the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles to disperse the crowd.</p><p data-block-key=\"au2eo\">According to Quintanar, officers pushed media members who were clearly displaying their press badges. About two minutes later, he was hit by a tear gas canister.</p><p data-block-key=\"48pqd\">“I was walking backward, trying to do my job. The officer simply fired from about three meters away,” Quintanar wrote in an email to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.</p><p data-block-key=\"efpkv\">The canister ricocheted off both of his knees. Quintanar said he couldn’t tell whether he had been targeted intentionally because the officer was wearing sunglasses.</p></div>\n<div class=\"block-aligned_image\"><figure class=\"inline-media full-width\">\n \n\n\n<img src=\"https://media.pressfreedomtracker.us/media/images/495075587_1441142500220072_1885396325058906729.width-828.jpg\" width=\"828\" height=\"1241\" alt=\"Courtesy Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez\">\n\n \n <figcaption class=\"inline-media__caption\">\n\t\t\t<p data-block-key=\"cumzz\">Photographer Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez, on assignment for Zuma Press, was struck in the knees by a tear gas canister while covering a protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025.</p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"media-attribution\"\n\t\t\t\t> — Courtesy Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez\n\t\t\t\t</span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t</figcaption>\n \n</figure>\n</div>\n<div class=\"block-rich_text\"><p data-block-key=\"ql2i2\">“The pain prevented me from working properly,” he said. “I couldn’t leave because we were blocked and surrounded, so I was forced to stay at the protests for a couple more hours while my wounds continued to bleed and worsen.”</p><p data-block-key=\"1ipqk\">Quintanar said he was returning to Mexico to seek medical treatment for his injuries and was struggling to walk.</p><p data-block-key=\"brlt8\">“The message it conveys is one of profound disappointment over the criminalization of our work as press officers,” he said. “Everything indicates that freedom of the press doesn’t exist, and they’re proud of it.”</p><p data-block-key=\"9tab5\">In a statement posted to social platform X, the Los Angeles Police Department said “deployments of less-lethal munitions were necessary to manage the crowds and prevent further harm to people or property.” The department’s professional standards bureau would investigate allegations of excessive force used during the protests, according to the statement.</p></div>",
"introduction": "",
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"image_caption": "<p data-block-key=\"pjthv\">Los Angeles Police Department officers with crowd-control munitions during an immigration enforcement protest on June 14, 2025. Photographer Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez was injured by a tear gas canister that day while on assignment for Zuma Press.</p>",
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]
