Atlanta-based journalist Mario Guevara, who was detained while covering an immigration protest earlier this year, spoke out after being deported to El Salvador last week.
Speaking to CBS News, Guevara said he will continue his work despite the deportation even if the deportation left him devastated. "I'm free, but I am away from my family. I am here, working in the area, trying to think about my situation," Guevara said.
Guevara went on to detail that he was in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day, leading him to lose weight and become depressed. "In my mind, I believed the U.S. government is trying to destroy me. I have a lot of nightmares," he added.
"In my cell, I have the light on all day, 24 hours. I never know exactly what is the time until I ask someone. It's something horrible."
The journalist was reunited with members of his family in El Salvador over the weekend. Some, however, remained in the U.S.: "They destroyed my family. We're separated," Guevara noted.
In the meantime, Guevara is telling stories in El Salvador and talking to others who have been deported as well. Employees of his channel in Atlanta will continue working there.
Guevara was charged with obstruction, pedestrian walking in or along a roadway and unlawful assembly when detained in June. A video of his arrest shows him wearing a vest with the word "PRESS" on it and telling an officer that he is a "member of the media."
Back then, immigration officials told Fox 5 Atlanta that Guevara overstayed his visa and was ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge in 2012. His lawyers contend that he is authorized to work in the country.
The Associated Press detailed Guevara fled El Salvador along with his family in 2004 after being beat and threatened over his work as a political reported. In the U.S., he worked for the largest Spanish-speaking outlet, Mundo Hispanico, before launching his own outlet, MGNews.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
