A federal immigration judge granted asylum on Monday to a Mexican journalist who fled his country more than 15 years ago after receiving death threats because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption.
Emilio Gutierrez Soto and his son, Oscar Gutierrez Soto, officially received asylum papers from U.S. Immigration Judge Nathan L. Herbert of El Paso, Texas. Now they can both apply for permanent U.S. legal residency, also known as a green card.
The 60-year-old journalist fled with his son to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2008 seeking asylum in the United States.
According to the Texas news outlet El Pass Matters, the journalist, following the announcement, turned toward a group of friends and family and raised his arms in victory. The group, who supported the father and son through the challenges of asylum denials and delays, cheered.
Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club’s Journalism Institute, said in a joint statement that the granting of asylum came about through the “extraordinary” efforts of nearly 20 other press organizations that supported Gutierrez Soto.
“And in that truth there is some sadness, because for every Emilio Gutierrez Soto there are thousands of others who do not receive [the] support, encouragement, luck, and resources that carry forward to freedom,” they said.
Press freedom advocates and First Amendment lawyers say Gutierrez Soto's journey offers a case study in how press freedom cases are often overlooked as a priority in the United States. And, they say, better protections are needed for at-risk journalists who come to the U.S. for safety reasons.
Gutierrez Soto's case
At the time he fled Mexico, Gutierrez Soto had been writing articles about how military forces were robbing and extorting people in Chihuahua, which borders New Mexico and part of Texas.
Gutierrez Soto said he received death threats because of those articles and feared being targeted if he stayed in Mexico.
Press freedom advocates involved in Gutierrez Soto's case have said they want immigration judges to be trained in specific subject areas so that they can process immigration cases faster.
Another way they said to support at-risk journalists is by advocating for a special visa for human rights workers and journalists.
In its 2023 annual World Press Freedom Index, RSF ranked Mexico 128 out of 180 countries, in which one is considered the freest. The United States was ranked 45.
