Two weeks after being deported to his home country of El Salvador from the United States, journalist Mario Guevara has opened up about his experience.
“It’s difficult times, especially since my heart is divided,” Guevara told 11Alive news in a recent interview. “I really miss my family. My family is separated. Just yesterday, went to the airport to say goodbye to my two kids as they return to my second country. I believe the United States is my country even if right now they don’t love me anymore.”
Guevara was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as he was reporting on a “No Kings” protest on June 14 in the Atlanta area. The 48-year-old journalist filmed his own arrest because he was livestreaming.
Guevara was granted bond in July, but ICE challenged his release to the Board of Immigration Appeals and requested that his bond be put on hold while the appeal was under review, Guevara’s lawyer said.
Regarding Guevara’s residence status, his lawyer has noted that Guevara had a work permit and a pathway to citizenship through the sponsorship of his adult son, who is a U.S. citizen.
In September, the Board of Immigration Appeals raised the specter of the reporter’s imminent deportation after it reopened his 13-year-old immigration case. The American Civil Liberties Union — whose lawyers are part of Guevara’s legal team — called for an emergency hearing regarding the ruling and a temporary restraining order to stop his potential deportation, but the appeal was denied and Guevara was expelled on Oct. 3.
“The facts of this case have not changed. Mario Guevara is in the country illegally. Following Mario Guevara’s arrest by local authorities for willful obstruction of law enforcement, ICE placed a detainer on him. He was then turned over to ICE custody,” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement to The Times last month.
“This illegal alien was granted voluntary departure in 2012. He refused to depart and was given a final order of removal from an immigration judge in 2012. The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country.”
Oscar Guevara, the detained newsman’s son, spoke of the pain of having his father deported.
“Words cannot begin to describe the loss and devastation my family feels. I am in utter shock and disbelief the government has punished my father for simply doing his life’s work of journalism. My father should have never had to face over 100 days in detention. He is the center of our family. He is the reason our home feels like home,” the younger Guevara said via a news release from the ACLU. .
“To me, he’s my rock, and I don’t know what life without him here will look like now that he will be deported. When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2021, it was my dad who centered me, who drove me to my medical appointments, and who lifted me up,” he added. “Now, I will have to manage my healthcare on my own, and live thousands of miles away separated from him. My family has been torn apart for no good reason, and I can only hope that we can one day be reunited.”
After spending time adjusting to his new life back in El Salvador, the journalist said he is ready to get back to reporting with his Spanish-language MG News outlet as well as continuing to pursue freelance opportunities.
After being held in an ICE center in Georgia for over 100 days, Guevara rejoiced in knowing that he had the support of many people at home and abroad.
“They’ve been wonderful with me [in El Salvador], they’ve received me literally like a hero,” he said. “I’ve received a lot of support from the local media and media in the United States and Europe.”
Guevara called his experience “horrible” and said that he felt as though he was treated like a criminal despite not having committed a crime.
“At the Atlanta federal prison, I was a victim of extortion there. Some people threatened to kill me,” he alleged. “It’s hard because the immigrants are in the same place as the convicted felons. … I had 70 days in solitary [confinement]; that was something horrible.”
When asked point blank if his arrest was an attempt to silence his voice, Guevara firmly said it was.
“When the ICE officer was transporting me, they asked if I was a journalist and I said yes,” he claimed. “They said, ‘You give us a hard time.’… they took it personally. I only wanted to inform my community.”
Despite being proud of his journalistic endeavors, Guevara expressed regret for the position he put his family in.
“Maybe I was negligent with my family because if you’re not a U.S. citizen, you don’t have the same rights like other journalists. I ignored that and I paid the price,” he said.
Although he longs to return to the U.S. in the near future. Guevara has appreciated the time he has spent in his homeland.
“Everything is good now. I’m enjoying the food … I really missed family members. I really missed friends, co-workers, my friends from university,” he said. “But honestly, waking up at 3 a.m. just thinking about your family is not easy.”
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