Journalist Mario Guevara Deported to El Salvador After Atlanta Detention

ATLANTA — Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara, 48, has been deported to El Salvador following his detention in Georgia since June. Guevara, who was arrested while covering a protest near Atlanta on June 14, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement days later, sparking widespread condemnation from journalism and civil liberties groups.

His deportation came after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined to halt a deportation order issued last month by the Board of Immigration Appeals. Guevara’s lawyers had been engaged in legal battles in both immigration and federal courts to secure his release, arguing he was being held in retaliation for his journalistic work.

All criminal charges against Guevara, filed by local prosecutors after his arrest, have been dismissed. Despite Department of Homeland Security officials maintaining he was in the country illegally, press freedom advocates, including Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists, have called his deportation a troubling sign for freedom of the press. Guevara, who fled El Salvador two decades ago, had built a significant audience in the Atlanta area, working for Mundo Hispanico and later founding MG News.

Upon his arrival in El Salvador, Guevara shared a live video on Facebook, expressing his gratitude to be back in his home country, albeit not under his desired circumstances. He also posted a photo enjoying pupusas, El Salvador’s national dish, and declared himself “ready to continue working twice as hard.”

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