Deporting the Truth: The Expulsion of Journalist Mario Guevara

October 29, 2025 – Mexico/USA – 

Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran-born journalist based in Atlanta, was deported to El Salvador on 3 October 2025 after spending about 100 days in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising deep concerns among press-freedom and civil-rights advocates.

Guevara had lived in the United States for more than two decades and built a prominent Spanish-language reporting presence focusing on immigration enforcement in Georgia. After covering an anti-Trump “No Kings Day” protest in June 2025, he was arrested by local police and subsequently handed over to ICE, despite the protest-related criminal charges being dropped. His legal status in the U.S. included a work permit and a pending green-card application, though an asylum petition from 2012 had been denied and remained a focal point of the removal proceedings.

Rights organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have warned that the case signals a troubling precedent: a journalist possibly being deported in retaliation for his work rather than for legitimate legal reasons. The extended detention, reopening of a long-closed immigration docket, and expedited removal have been pointed to as indicative of a policy shift aimed at narrowing reporting access and chilling Latin-language journalism on immigration.

Guevara’s family and professional peers emphasize that the effect extends beyond this one case. His daughter said the emotional and financial impact of his removal has been severe. The broader message, according to observers, is that the protections journalists typically enjoy when observing law-enforcement actions may be under strain — especially for immigrant reporters working in Spanish-language media.

While the U.S. administration defended the case on immigration-law grounds, the lack of a clear criminal basis and the timing of arrest and removal have triggered a debate over whether the action represents an assault on free press principles. The incident underscores how immigration enforcement can intersect with journalism freedoms, particularly when coverage focuses on policing and vulnerable communities.

Reference –

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/28/journalist-mario-guevara-trump-ice-deportations