Georgia-based journalist Mario Guevara was deported to El Salvador on Friday morning days after the Court of Appeals denied his last-minute request to stay in the United States.
Guevara, who has been in custody for over 100 days after he was arrested while covering a DeKalb County protest in June, was moved to a facility in Louisiana before his deportation. The Committee to Protect journalists has confirmed with CBS News Atlanta that he was deported on a 4 a.m. flight.
On Wednesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Guevara's deportation could go forward, finding that, while the journalist did have the First Amendment right to report on the protest, he had not filed the proper paperwork to apply for permanent residency.
In a statement, Oscar Guevara, the journalist's son, said that he and his family are in "utter shock and disbelief" over the fact that they weren't given the chance to say goodbye.
"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," Oscar Guevara said. "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."
Mario Guevara stands in his home in Lilburn in 2012.
David Goldman / AP
In a live video posted on Facebook on Friday afternoon, Guevara is seen, escorted by El Salvador government officials, exiting a vehicle and hugging a woman who pointed a camera phone at him. "Hello, Mom," he said into the screen.
He looked toward the sky and said, "My country, my country, my country. Thank God. This isn't how I wanted to come to my country, but thank God."
Guevara then posted a photo of himself with reporting equipment, saying that he was "ready to continue working double from my country." In another post, he poses smiling with a plate of El Salvador's signature dish of flat corn cakes stuffed with cheese and other fillings.
Mario Guevara detained while covering "No Kings" protest
Police in DeKalb County arrested Guevara while he was livestreaming a "No Kings" rally protesting President Trump's administration on June 14, charging him with obstructing police, unlawful assembly, and improperly entering a roadway.
"I got a call from his daughter that he was arrested. His livestream was still on," said Alondra Madrigal, a reporter who worked with Guevara. "Mario is a fearless reporter. I've come to learn that he's always at the front lines. He's not afraid to lift his voice up, especially for those in the community."
Within days, prosecutors dismissed the charges. The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office then took out warrants charging Guevara with reckless driving and other counts, but the county's solicitor's office declined to prosecute the case.
ICE took custody of Guevara a few days after his arrest and refused to release him. He was moved to the Folkston ICE Processing Center, where he remained in detention until his move to Louisiana and deportation.
Mario Guevara with MGNews is detained by Dekalb County Sheriff's deputies in Dekalb County, during a "No Kings" protest near Atlanta, on Saturday, June 14, 2025/
Mike Stewart / AP
An immigration judge granted Guevara a $7,500 bond in July, but the government filed a stay, claiming that his reporting on law enforcement activity was dangerous, citing a 2012 ruling denying Guevara's application for asylum.
In September, the Board of Immigration reopened the prior immigration case, which had previously been administratively closed. Attorneys for Guevara and the ACLU have argued that the board based its ruling on incorrect information and that his deportation should not have been ordered.
"The government kept Mario unlawfully detained for weeks because of his vital reporting on law enforcement activity. His deportation is a devastating and tragic outcome for a father and celebrated journalist," said Scarlet Kim, senior staff attorney with the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, & Technology Project. "Journalists should not have to fear government retaliation, including prolonged detention, for reporting on government activity, and showing up to work should not result in your family being torn apart. Mario's treatment should terrify any person in this country that cares about a free press."
His family is heartbroken, but determined to keep the new organization he started in Georgia alive.
"I feel like he knows he's fulfilled his duty, and I know he's proud of that," Oscar Guevara said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dan Raby, the senior digital producer for CBS News Atlanta, has been covering everything happening around Georgia for more than a decade.
