Mario Guevara, a prominent Spanish-language journalist known for his fearless coverage of immigration raids and protests in the United States, was deported to El Salvador on October 3, 2025, following months of detention in Georgia. The case has ignited fierce debate over press freedom, immigration policy, and the treatment of journalists covering sensitive issues in the U.S.
Guevara’s ordeal began on June 14, 2025, when he was arrested while livestreaming law enforcement officers at a ‘No Kings’ demonstration near Atlanta. According to CNN, the protest was one of the largest mobilizations since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January. Guevara, wearing his press helmet and vest, was standing on a sidewalk with other reporters when police detained him, charging him with misdemeanors such as unlawful assembly and obstruction. All charges were later dropped by local prosecutors, but the consequences of his arrest would reverberate far beyond the courthouse.
After his arrest, Guevara was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. Despite an immigration judge granting him bond in early July, ICE obtained a stay from the immigration appellate court, keeping him in custody. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) reopened his 13-year-old case and, on September 19, 2025, ordered his removal. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a temporary restraining order in a last-ditch effort to halt his deportation, but the court rejected it. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also declined to pause the deportation order on October 1, 2025.
Guevara’s legal battles were complicated by his immigration history. He had entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2004 and filed for asylum in 2005, citing threats in El Salvador due to his reporting. His asylum application was denied in 2012, partly because it was submitted late, but he remained in the country while his appeal was administratively closed. Over the next two decades, Guevara built a reputation as a courageous journalist, working for Mundo Hispánico and, in 2024, founding MG News, a digital outlet focused on Georgia’s Latino community. He was nominated for the Southeast Regional Emmy Award three times and won in 2021 and 2023 for his coverage of immigration issues.
Upon his deportation, Guevara arrived at El Salvador’s airport with little more than his press gear. Authorities separated him from the 117 other Salvadoran deportees and transferred him to Olocuilta, where his family awaited him. In a Facebook video, he greeted his mother and declared, “My country, my country, my country. Thank God. This isn’t how I wanted to come to my country, but thank God.” Later, he posted a photo enjoying pupusas—El Salvador’s beloved corn cakes—and stated, “ready to continue working twice as hard from my country.”
Speaking to reporters, Guevara expressed mixed emotions about his return. “I feel sorrow, but I also feel joy to be home in my homeland. I mean, they didn’t kill me. Perhaps a racist government wanted to kill me. And I am here in my homeland. So, in the end, this, in my view, is a blessing.” He added, “In the end they are simply following orders.”
Guevara’s family has been deeply affected by his detention and deportation. His son Oscar described the ordeal as harrowing, saying, “He was not always safe” during confinement, and recounting threats and extortion attempts by other inmates. “Words cannot begin to describe the losses and wreckage my family is enduring,” Oscar said, adding, “I am in complete shock and I can’t believe the government punished my father simply for doing his life – journalism.”
Press freedom and civil liberties organizations have condemned Guevara’s treatment. Scarlett Kim, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, stated, “Journalists should not fear government repression, including prolonged detention for covering government activity, and coming to work should not separate families. Guevara’s treatment should alarm anyone in this country who cares about press freedom.”
Katherine Jacobsen, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), called the deportation “a troubling sign of the deteriorating freedom of the press under the Trump administration.” She emphasized, “It is shameful that the U.S. government is deporting Guevara, the first time that CPJ has documented this type of retaliation related to reporting activity.” According to CPJ, Guevara was the only journalist held in ICE detention in the U.S. in 2025, making his case particularly notable.
U.S. government officials, however, have maintained that Guevara’s deportation was strictly an immigration matter. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security described him as “an illegal immigrant with a deportation order pending from an immigration judge since 2012,” adding, “If someone comes to our country and violates our laws, we will arrest them and NEVER return.” The court’s decisions also cited procedural issues, noting that while Guevara was within his First Amendment rights to report on the protest, he did not have the proper paperwork filed at the right time to stay in the U.S.
Guevara himself has argued that his removal was about more than paperwork. “I was not deported for being a criminal,” he said. “That’s what caused my deportation: reporting the injustices, the unjust [migrant] arrests they were carrying out.” He lamented, “The Donald Trump government kicked me out claiming I was a stone in their shoe.”
The broader context of Guevara’s deportation has raised alarms about the state of press freedom in the United States, especially for journalists covering contentious issues like immigration enforcement. Advocates warn that his case sets a dangerous precedent, potentially chilling the willingness of other reporters—particularly those from immigrant backgrounds—to cover government actions without fear of retaliation.
Despite the adversity, Guevara has vowed to continue his work. He told supporters and viewers, “ready to continue working twice as hard from my country.” His story, marked by courage, controversy, and resilience, now stands as a stark reminder of the risks journalists face and the ongoing debates over immigration and free speech in America.
For Mario Guevara and his family, the journey has been painful, but the fight for truth and accountability continues, wherever he may report from next.
