
The ideological exclusion provision is a law enacted as part of the Patriot Act that allows the U.S. government to deny entry to noncitizens who have "endorsed or espoused terrorism."
Today, : "In the struggle for world opinion after September 11th, [ideological exclusion] made America look intolerant and narrow-minded and afraid." The 챬 challenged this law twice on behalf of American organizations that had invited two prominent Muslim scholars, professors Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib, to speak in the U.S. Our lawsuits assert these groups' First Amendment right to hear constitutionally protected speech is violated by the ideological exclusion provision. Neither Ramadan nor Habib have been found to "endorse or espouse" terrorism.
Tomorrow afternoon, Habib, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg, will give a public talk at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Last Wednesday, he . : "When the United States as a superpower violates civil liberties, it has a ripple effect across the globe. This case was very important because it opens the space for us to talk and engage as human beings…This is a case about principles."
On Thursday, Ramadan will speak at a panel discussion at Cooper Union. Ramadan will join Packer, copanelists Joan Wallach Scott and Dahlia Mogahed, and moderator Jacob Weisberg in a discussion called "Secularism, Islam, & Democracy: Muslims in Europe and the West." (Event details are here; 챬 members get a discount on tickets! And if you can’t make it in person, check the 챬’s website for a link to a live-stream of the panel.)
Packer wrote today of Ramadan: "[S]hutting out this serious and widely influential intellectual was a self-defeating mistake." We can only hope our government will learn from the past and retire ideological exclusion once and for all.
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Press ReleaseAug 2025
Free Speech
Journalist Detained by ICE for Livestreaming Law Enforcement Activity Files for Immediate Release
En español: /press-releases/periodista-detenido-por-ice-al-transmitir-en-vivo-actividades-policiales-solicita-liberacion-inmediata ATLANTA – A prominent Georgia journalist has filed for immediate release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following his arrest while reporting at a “No Kings” rally in June. Mario Guevara has been covering immigration and other law enforcement activity in the Atlanta area for over 20 years, including as the founder of Spanish-speaking outlet MG News, and his reporting is followed by hundreds of thousands of viewers. Mr. Guevara was granted bond by an immigration judge on July 1, but he remains detained. ICE has argued that he is a danger to the community specifically because he livestreams and reports on law enforcement activities. Documenting law enforcement activity is protected by the First Amendment. “Mario Guevara is being detained solely because of his journalism — specifically his livestreaming of immigration and other law enforcement officials,” said Scarlet Kim, senior staff attorney with the 챬’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “Documenting what government actors do in public is fully protected by the First Amendment, yet those activities are exactly what the government claims makes Mario a danger to society. His detention on this basis is unlawful and sends a chilling message to other journalists, particularly non-citizen journalists, that they will also face retaliation if they report on public officials. We ask the court to reject this egregious suppression of protected press activity and order Mr. Guevara’s immediate release.” Mr. Guevara has lived in the United States since 2004. He has three children, two of whom are U.S. citizens and one of whom depends on him for long-term medical care. He has a pathway to citizenship through a pending petition from his U.S. citizen son and is legally authorized to live and work in the United States. “My father is a dedicated journalist who is motivated only by his desire to help others in our community,” said Katherine Guevara, Mario Guevara’s daughter. “For over 50 days, we have been searching for answers while he languishes in detention as punishment for that sense of duty and care. He needs to be allowed to come home to his family immediately.” Mr. Guevara was standing with other journalists and wearing a vest that identified him as a member of the press when he was arrested on June 14 in DeKalb County while covering a “No Kings” protest. Shortly after his arrest, prosecutors dropped the criminal charges stemming from his presence at the protest, having concluded that he was complying with law enforcement directives, and an immigration judge granted bond on July 1. When his family tried to pay the bond, however, ICE officials refused to release him and instead transferred him to Gwinnett County after the Gwinnett County Sherriff’s Office filed traffic violation charges. Those charges were also dropped shortly thereafter. Mr. Guevara nevertheless remains in custody, in isolation, as ICE appeals his release on bond to the Board of Immigration Appeals. He is currently being held at Folkston ICE Processing Center in southeastern Georgia, over four hours away from his family – the fifth place he has been held in the two months since his detention. “Journalism is not a threat to the community, it is fundamental to our democracy,” said Cory Isaacson, legal director at the 챬 of Georgia. “Like other Georgia journalists every day, Mario Guevara serves the people of our state with his reporting, and the First Amendment demands that he be able to do so without fear of being locked up in retaliation. Mr. Guevara is detained in violation of his rights to free speech and a free press, and we are hopeful Mr. Guevara will soon be released.” The 챬; the 챬 of Georgia; the University of Georgia School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic; Garland, Samuel & Loeb, P.C.; and Diaz & Gaeta Law, LLC filed a habeas petition on Wednesday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, arguing that Mr. Guevara’s continued detention violates the First and Fifth Amendments. The petition argues that his continued detention is retaliatory, amounts to a prior restraint on his future speech and reporting, and violates due process.Affiliate: Georgia -
Press ReleaseAug 2025
Free Speech
Periodista detenido por ICE al transmitir en vivo actividades policiales solicita liberación inmediata
In English: /press-releases/journalist-detained-by-ice-for-livestreaming-law-enforcement-activity-files-for-immediate-release ATLANTA –Un destacado periodista de Georgia ha solicitado su liberación inmediata de la custodia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) tras su arresto mientras reportaba en una manifestación “No Kings” (no reyes) en junio. Mario Guevara ha cubierto en sus reportajes temas de inmigración y otras actividades de las fuerzas del orden en el área de Atlanta durante más de 20 años, incluso como fundador del medio de comunicación en español, MG News, y sus reportajes son seguidos por cientos de miles de espectadores. Un juez de inmigración le concedió una fianza al Sr. Guevara el 1 de julio, pero él permanece detenido. ICE ha argumentado que él es un peligro para la comunidad específicamente porque transmite en vivo e informa sobre las actividades de las fuerzas del orden. Documentar la actividad de las fuerzas del orden está protegido por la Primera Enmienda. “Mario Guevara está detenido únicamente por su periodismo, específicamente por su transmisión en vivo de funcionarios de inmigración y otras fuerzas del orden”, dijo Scarlet Kim, abogada sénior del Proyecto de Discurso, Privacidad y Tecnología de la 챬. “Documentar lo que los actores gubernamentales hacen en público está totalmente protegido por la Primera Enmienda, sin embargo, esas actividades son exactamente lo que el gobierno alega que convierte a Mario en un peligro para la sociedad. Su detención a base de esto es ilegal y envía un mensaje escalofriante a otros periodistas, particularmente a los periodistas que no son ciudadanos estadounidenses, de que también enfrentarán represalias si informan sobre funcionarios públicos. Le pedimos a la corte que rechace esta atroz supresión de la actividad de prensa protegida y ordene la liberación inmediata del Sr. Guevara”. El Sr. Guevara ha vivido en Estados Unidos desde el 2004. Tiene tres hijos, dos de los cuales son ciudadanos estadounidenses y uno de los cuales depende de él para recibir atención médica a largo plazo. Tiene un camino hacia la ciudadanía a través de una petición de su hijo ciudadano estadounidense, la cual está pendiente, y está legalmente autorizado para vivir y trabajar en los Estados Unidos. “Mi padre es un periodista dedicado que solo está motivado por su deseo de ayudar a otros en nuestra comunidad”, dijo Katherine Guevara, hija de Mario Guevara. “Durante más de 50 días, hemos estado buscando respuestas mientras él languidece en detención como castigo por ese sentido del deber y cuidado. Necesita que se le permita volver a casa con su familia de inmediato”. El Sr. Guevara estaba junto a otros periodistas y llevaba un chaleco que lo identificaba como miembro de la prensa cuando fue arrestado el 14 de junio en el condado de DeKalb mientras cubría una protesta de “No Kings” (No reyes). Poco después de su arresto, los fiscales retiraron los cargos penales derivados de su presencia en la protesta, habiendo concluido que estaba cumpliendo con las directivas de las fuerzas del orden, y un juez de inmigración le concedió la fianza el 1 de julio. Sin embargo, cuando su familia intentó pagar la fianza, los funcionarios de ICE se negaron a liberarlo y en su lugar de liberarlo, lo transfirieron al condado de Gwinnett después de que la Oficina del Sheriff del condado de Gwinnett presentara cargos por infracciones de tránsito. Esos cargos también fueron retirados poco después. No obstante, el Sr. Guevara permanece bajo custodia, en aislamiento, mientras ICE apela su liberación bajo fianza ante la Junta de Apelaciones de Inmigración. Actualmente se encuentra recluido en el Centro de Procesamiento de ICE de Folkston en el sureste de Georgia, a más de cuatro horas de su familia; es el quinto lugar en el que ha estado recluido en los dos meses desde su detención. “El periodismo no es una amenaza para la comunidad, es un pilar de nuestra democracia”, dijo Cory Isaacson, director legal de 챬 de Georgia. “Cada día, al igual que otros periodistas de Georgia, Mario Guevara sirve a la gente de nuestro estado con sus reportajes, y la Primera Enmienda exige que pueda hacerlo sin temor a ser encarcelado en represalia. El Sr. Guevara está detenido en violación de sus derechos a la libertad de expresión y a la libertad de prensa, y tenemos la esperanza de que el Sr. Guevara sea liberado pronto". La Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (챬); 챬 de Georgia; la Clínica de la Primera Enmienda de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Georgia; Garland, Samuel & Loeb, P.C.; y Diaz & Gaeta Law, LLC presentaron una petición de hábeas corpus el miércoles en el Tribunal de Distrito de Estados Unidos para el Distrito Sur de Georgia, argumentando que la detención continuada del Sr. Guevara viola la Primera Enmineda y la Quinta Enmienda. La petición argumenta que su detención continuada es una represalia, equivale a una restricción previa a su futuro discurso e informes, y viola el debido proceso.Affiliate: Georgia -
Press ReleaseAug 2025
Free Speech
Suit Seeking to Punish Freedom from Religion Foundation for Advocacy Dismissed
OKLAHOMA CITY – In a win for freedom of speech, a suit filed against the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) was dismissed by a federal judge this week. The suit, filed by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), sought to punish FFRF for sending advocacy letters to the department objecting to religious activity in public schools. FFRF filed a motion to dismiss in May, arguing that the suit was a frivolous attempt to silence their protected speech. “This decision affirms a fundamental freedom: the right to petition the government for change,” said Vera Eidelman, senior staff attorney with the 챬’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “The government has no business suing advocacy organizations for exercising their First Amendment rights, and we are grateful that the court recognized that government actors responding to the public doesn’t qualify as an injury.” In the decision, the judge agreed that no harm had come to OSDE because of the letters, asking, “In what way are Plaintiffs precluded from administering Oklahoma’s public schools because of Defendant’s letters?” The case was dismissed without prejudice. “As we enter a new school year, this judgement reaffirms our right to speak out against school policies and advocate for change,” said Megan Lambert, legal director at the 챬 of Oklahoma. “The right to dissent is now more important than ever, and we remain committed to ensuring that people can continue to advocate for better governance and equity in Oklahoma public schools. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is without the power to silence dissent.” “We are pleased that this frivolous lawsuit by Walters was promptly dismissed,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “FFRF will continue to work to protect the constitutional rights of students and families in Oklahoma.” FFRF is represented by the 챬 and the 챬 of Oklahoma. They argued that the lawsuit is a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (SLAPP), an abusive legal tactic that seeks to chill expression by saddling defendants with potentially lengthy and expensive litigation in retaliation for protected speech. The motion to dismiss was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in May. The opinion can be read here.Court Case: Walters v. Freedom From Religion FoundationAffiliate: Oklahoma -
News & CommentaryAug 2025
Free Speech
I’m a Columbia Student Journalist. I Watched Censorship Unfold on My Own Campus.
As an opinion editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator during a historic year of campus protests and federal scrutiny, I saw firsthand how student journalists navigated censorship fears, administrative pressure, and growing national attention.By: Ellessandra Taormino