Journalist Mario Guevara from El Salvador is facing the possibility of imminent deportation after the Board of Immigration Appeals on Friday reopened his 13-year-old immigration case and declined to let him out on bond. Additionally, the board denied a motion to give back the removal proceedings to a previous judge who was covering Guevara’s green-card case.
Guevera, who left his homeland over 20 years ago and founded the Spanish-language news outlet MG News, 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 47-year-old reporter’s arrest was captured on video because he was livestreaming his news report as the incident occurred.
On June 24, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X about Guevara’s situation.
“Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran national, is in ICE custody because he is in our country ILLEGALLY. Guevara was arrested by Dekalb County, Georgia police for willful OBSTRUCTION after he REFUSED to comply with local police orders to move out of the middle of the street,” the post claimed. “Following his arrest by local authorities, ICE placed a detainer on him. Following his release, he was turned over to ICE custody and has been placed in removal proceedings.”
The journalist was granted bond in July, but ICE challenged Guevara’s release to the Board of Immigration Appeals and requested that his bond be put on hold while the appeal is under review, Guevara’s lawyer claimed.
Regarding Guevara’s residence status, his lawyer has noted that Guevara has a work permit and has a pathway to citizenship through the sponsorship of his adult son, who is a U.S. citizen.
Following Friday’s decision, the American Civil Liberties Union — whose lawyers are part of Guevara’s legal team — called for an emergency hearing regarding the ruling, calling for a temporary restraining order to stop Guevara’s potential deportation.
“Mr. Guevara should not even be in immigration detention, but the government has kept him there for months because of his crucial reporting on law enforcement activity,” Scarlet Kim, an ACLU senior staff attorney said in a press release. “The fact that he may now be put on a plane to El Salvador, a country he fled out of fear, at any moment, despite a clear path to becoming a permanent resident is despicable. The court must ensure he is not deported and should order his release from detention immediately.”
The ACLU claimed that the court decision labeled Guevara’s bond appeal as “moot” due to a characterization of language in Guevara’s immigration case.
“The opinion misstates that that decision ordered Mr. Guevara removed. Instead, that decision granted Mr. Guevara voluntary departure,” the ACLU argued in its Friday press release. “Subsequently, the government administratively closed the removal proceedings against Mr. Guevara and he was permitted to live and work in the United States for over a decade.”
A federal judge has imposed an Oct. 3 deadline for the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to formally respond to the emergency motion.
The Times has contacted DHS, ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review for comment.
Democratic Georgia state Senator Josh McLaurin (D–Sandy Springs), reprimanded the court for its Friday decision.
“This is yet another example of the Trump administration’s pervasive attempts to stifle journalists and media from doing honest reporting or speaking unfavorably about the administration. This is one of the most dangerous periods for free speech in American history,” McLaurin said in a Friday press release. “Although all charges against [Guevara] have since been dropped, he remains in ICE custody and is imminently facing deportation to his home country of El Salvador.”
On Monday, a handwritten letter from Guevara was posted on his MG News website, commemorating his 100th day in ICE custody.
“Today, Monday, marks 100 days behind bars, more than [three] months locked up like a delinquent,” Guevara wrote. “I am conscious of my legal situation, I know that I am on the brink of being expelled from this country, which I’ve so loved and respected for over two decades.”
But if he were to be deported, Guevara said he’d be able to go back to his birth country with a sense of pride because he stood up for his rights as a member of the press.
“If they deport me, I’ll go with my head held high, because I’m convinced it will be due to my work as a journalist and not because I committed crimes,” Guevara wrote.
He also expressed sadness for being separated from his family for months, as well as disillusionment with the founding principles of the United States.
“The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance says in part, ‘With liberty and justice for all.’ That is now a fallacy,” Guevara wrote. “They should now add to it, ‘With the exception of immigrants.’
“To my family, I ask for forgiveness for having caused so much pain with my work. I am also sorry to the U.S. justice system for having violated some road rules, but it was never done with bad intentions or in bad faith.”
Guevara capped his letter off by thanking all those who have continued to offer support to him and his work.
“To my Latino community, I thank you for always supporting me, and to the customers of MGNews, for having trusted me and my team. Thank you.”
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