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October 03, 2025 – USA –
In early October 2025, Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist based in Atlanta, was deported to El Salvador after spending over 100 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. His case has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom groups, who argue the deportation represents retaliation for his reporting rather than a straightforward immigration enforcement action.
Guevara was initially arrested on June 14 while livestreaming a protest near Atlanta. Local charges—obstruction, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway—were later dropped. Despite the dismissal, ICE placed a detainer and transferred him to federal custody.
Guevara’s immigration history is complex. He arrived in the U.S. in 2004 and had operated under an administrative closure of his deportation orders. He held a work permit and had applied for a green card through his U.S. citizen son. However, in September 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals reopened his 2012 removal proceeding, issued a final order of removal, and declined to return the case to a lower immigration court.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Guevara’s emergency request to block the deportation, paving the way for his removal. He was put on a 4 a.m. flight on October 3 and landed in El Salvador, where he was greeted by family and vowed to continue his reporting from abroad.
Press freedom organizations responded strongly.
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the deportation as a miscarriage of justice, insisting Guevara was targeted for his journalism despite lawful work authorization.
- CPJ and Free Press expressed alarm that his detention and removal appear to punish him for livestreaming law enforcement, warning that such moves could chill reporting across the U.S.
- The ACLU of Georgia filed a motion noting that Guevara’s arrest, prolonged detention, and deportation constitute retaliation and a violation of First Amendment protections.
- Amnesty International USA also denounced the move, citing due process concerns and the broader implications for press freedom and immigrant protections.
Guevara’s case has stirred deep concern: for many, it marks one of the most consequential clashes yet between journalism and immigration enforcement in the U.S.
Reference –
https://rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-condemns-deportation-journalist-mario-guevara
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/03/journalist-mario-guevara-ice-deportation
11th Circuit denies Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara’s bid to block deportation order
