Journalist Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning Salvadorian reporter who had lived in the Atlanta area for about 20 years, was deported to El Salvador on Friday after 100 days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, his family announced on social media.
Guevara fled El Salvador in 2004 to escape leftwing militias and had been operating under an administrative closure of deportation orders while holding a work permit. His deportation case was reopened after his arrest in June while livestreaming a 'No Kings Day' protest, on petty charges that were almost immediately dismissed.
His imprisonment is among the longest for any reporter arrested in connection with their work in U.S. history. Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists said the case represents a threat to media freedoms, noting that the government argued his livestreaming posed a danger to law enforcement.
Guevara's daughter, Katherine, said the family has struggled financially and emotionally during his detention, as sponsorships were paused. Guevara had a popular Facebook page with over 1 million viewers at the time of his arrest.
Advocacy groups including CPJ, PEN America, and the ACLU filed a brief arguing that his detention creates a chilling effect on free speech. CPJ is tracking similar cases, including a student journalist in Kentucky convicted for failing to disperse while covering a protest.
