Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the deportation of Emmy-winning Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara from the United States, describing the move as an alarming attack on press freedom.
Guevara, a Spanish-language reporter, was deported back to El Salvador on Friday following months of detention. He had been arrested on June 14 after livestreaming a “No Kings” protest in the Atlanta metropolitan area that was critical of the Trump administration’s policies.
“Mario Guevara’s deportation is a troubling sign of the deteriorating freedom of the press under the Trump administration,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator. “Make no mistake, this is not a simple immigration case as authorities would have the public believe. Guevara was first detained in retaliation for his reporting… It is shameful that the U.S. government is deporting Guevara, the first time that CPJ has documented this type of retaliation related to reporting activity.”
According to CPJ, the federal government argued that Guevara’s filming of law enforcement activities during the protest posed a public safety risk — a claim the organization dismissed as an attempt to silence critical reporting.
The journalist’s case marks the first deportation CPJ has documented in the U.S. as retaliation for journalistic activity.
In a related statement, CPJ and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called out the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr for “politicizing” the regulatory body and threatening First Amendment protections.
The press freedom groups urged Carr to “refrain from using the FCC’s authority as a tool to punish voices that contradict the Trump administration’s narrative,” citing recent investigations into major broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, CBS, NPR, and PBS.
“The FCC’s regulatory powers should not be used as a cudgel to punish voices that contradict the Trump administration’s narrative,” Jacobsen added. “This concerning abuse of authority threatens the First Amendment protections that federal institutions should seek to uphold.”
CPJ noted that under Carr’s leadership, the FCC has reopened several investigations into broadcast outlets and even threatened to revoke licenses over editorial content.
The controversy intensified last week when ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly taken off air following Carr’s remarks suggesting the network’s license be revoked after Kimmel criticized the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
In July, CBS parent company Paramount Global reportedly reached a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over allegations of election interference involving a televised interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The settlement coincided with the FCC’s review of a merger between Paramount and Skydance, which was approved shortly afterward.
CPJ said it had reached out to the FCC for comment on Carr’s public remarks and potential influence on media operations but did not receive a response.
