Swinging on a hammock in El Salvador, journalist Mario Guevara looks thinner — he lost 30 pounds while spending over 100 days in immigration detention in the U.S. Arrested on June 14 while covering a Stop ICE protest in DeKalb County, Guevara was charged with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police, and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. Although those charges were eventually dropped, Guevara was transferred to ICE custody and spent the next three months in detention.
On October 3, he was deported to El Salvador and spoke with 285 South over video call just a few days after. Since landing in his home country, Guevara has recounted his time in detention in dozens of interviews with international media. He said he plans to resettle in the San Vicente area; he’s also had time to think about plans for his news outlet MG News.
The future of his newsroom in Atlanta — whose staff (none of whom are full-time) consists of one reporter, Madrigal, a photographer, Guevara’s son Oscar; a salesperson, and a freelance writer — is now uncertain. He started MG News outlet a few years ago, gaining followers on his Facebook page as he tracked and reported on ICE arrests around the Atlanta area, mostly through live streaming.
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