A Spanish-language journalist who spent nearly four months in immigration detention following his arrest while covering a protest near Atlanta was deported to El Salvador on Friday.
Mario Guevara, 48, arrived in his home country after being taken into custody by local police on June 14 while reporting on a demonstration outside Atlanta. Police turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement days later, sparking a legal battle across multiple court systems, including immigration and federal courts, trying to have him released.
In a video posted to Facebook Friday afternoon, Guevara was seen being escorted by Salvadoran government officials as he got out of a vehicle and hugged a woman recording with her phone.
"Hello, Mom," Guevara said into the camera before looking up and saying: "My country, my country, my country. Thank God. This isn't how I wanted to come to my country, but thank God."
The journalist later shared a photo of himself at a restaurant enjoying pupusas, El Salvador's traditional corn cakes. In another post, he said he was "ready to continue working twice as hard from my country."
Guevara's deportation happened after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined Wednesday to stop a deportation order issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals last month.
Local prosecutors dismissed all criminal charges filed against Guevara following his arrest. His attorneys alleged he was being detained in retaliation for his journalistic work, arguing this violated his constitutional rights.
Some press organizations have alleged that Guevara was targeted for his journalism. The Department of Homeland Security has consistently rejected such claims, maintaining he was in the country illegally.
Guevara fled El Salvador two decades ago due to safety concerns and built a substantial following as a journalist in the Atlanta area. He worked for Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language publication, before launching MG News last year.
Guevara was livestreaming coverage of a rally protesting President Donald Trump's administration when DeKalb County police arrested him. Video footage shows Guevara wearing a protective vest marked "PRESS."
"I'm a member of the media, officer," Guevara can be heard telling police in the arrest video. The footage shows him standing on a sidewalk alongside other journalists with no apparent confrontations nearby.
An immigration judge denied Guevara's request to remain in the United States in 2012. He appealed that ruling to the Board of Immigration Appeals, but that appeal had not been decided when prosecutors agreed to administratively close the case. His lawyers say he had authorization to live and work in the U.S. for the last 13 years.
After entering ICE custody in June, the government petitioned the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen the 2012 case. The Board of Immigration Appeals agreed last month to reopen the case but dismissed Guevara's appeal and ordered his deportation to El Salvador.
An immigration judge had granted Guevara bond in July, but he remained in custody while the government appealed.
A separate federal court case challenging the constitutionality of Guevara's immigration detention remains pending.