ATLANTA — An Atlanta area journalist Mario Guevara, who has been fighting deportation since his arrest by ICE this summer, is expected to be deported to El Salvador within the next 24 hours following a ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

The three-judge panel rejected Guevara’s effort to block his removal, noting that while Guevara had a First Amendment right to attend and cover the No King’s Day protest on Chamblee Tucker Road in DeKalb County in June where he was arrested.

He was livestreaming the demonstration in Spanish and wearing a helmet and a press vest when tensions escalated between protesters and police. In the video, Guevara could be heard identifying himself as a journalist before being taken to the ground and detained by officers.

His case centered on immigration, not free speech. Judges determined his bid to remain in the U.S. was unlikely to succeed because he did not file the proper paperwork to adjust his status.

Guevara, who is legally authorized to work in the U.S. while awaiting a green card, remains in ICE custody. His son, an American citizen, filed an “alien relative” petition on his behalf, but the court said necessary filings were never completed.

The journalist’s detention has taken a heavy toll on his family. His eldest daughter, Catherine, called the situation devastating. “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 added that she has watched her father’s smile fade and fears deportation will dismantle the life her family has built in the U.S.

Speaking at a recent news conference, Catherine described her father as central to their family. “My father may be a journalist for Georgia communities or even to the government, but to me he’s the center of our family,” she said.

Guevara’s family believes he has been transferred from a South Georgia ICE facility to Louisiana, where he will be put onto a plane to El Salvador.

The ACLU of Georgia, which has been representing Guevara, has warned that deportation could occur at any time, though no official timeline has been announced.