Mexican journalist wins asylum in El Paso court after epic 15-year case
EL PASO, TX, March 18 – Following is a statement from Emily Wilkins, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the news today that Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto has been granted asylum in an El Paso courtroom after an epic 15- year struggle filled with appeals, detention, and the constant threat of deportation.
“Our hearts are full to hear the news that Emilio Gutierrez Soto has finally been granted asylum. Chased from his country by death threats over his reporting, Emilio arrived in the United States legally to seek a better life here for himself and his son, Oscar. What he found were arcane rules that treated him as a criminal, twice putting him in extended stints of detention and at least once loading him in a van to be deported. He has not slept soundly one night in the U.S. We know this will be that night with many more in the future.
“The number of organizations and people who helped Emilio along the way are legion but we must thank a few: his amazing attorney Eduardo Beckett of El Paso, who took on a hopeless case and fought for his clients' rights with unmatched tenacity and skill; the people of Las Cruces, New Mexico, who befriended Emilio and Oscar, took them in, and made them part of their community; the Knight-Wallace program at the University of Michigan, which offered Emilio a fellowship and so much support; professor Penny Venetis and her students at Rutgers University Law School, who led the habeas corpus case that finally freed Emilio from detention; members of Congress who advocated for him, including former Reps. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Debbie Dingell of Michigan among others; and the Bishop of El Paso Mark Seitz, who visited Emilio in detention, pressed for his release, and prayed for him.
“Emilio’s case illustrates the frustrating, unnecessary and numerous hurdles for exiled journalists who come to the U.S. We call on our government to promote Freedom of the Press for those like Emilio who were forced to leave their countries because of their reporting.
“We will say a final word about our own organization, the National Press Club and its nonprofit affiliate, the National Press Club Journalism Institute. Led by former Institute Director Julie Schoo and Kathy Kiely, former Institute Press Freedom Fellow and a University of Missouri School of Journalism professor, the Institute filed a FOIA case that put significant pressure on the government and ultimately helped pave the way for Emilio’s release. We thank the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for its significant help and dedication to the Emilio’s case. The Club has been there every step of the way, holding news conferences, creating online petitions, issuing statements, visiting Emilio in detention, using social media to spread the word, and pressing the government at the highest levels for his release.
“This day would not have happened without these extraordinary efforts and those of nearly 20 other press organizations that supported this effort. And in that truth there is some sadness, because for every Emilio Gutierrez Soto there are thousands of others who do not receive support, encouragement, luck, and resources that carry forward to freedom. Let us learn from this case which has so much to teach us. Today we rejoice for Emilio and his well-won fight for liberty and justice.”
For more information on Emilio Gutierrez Soto and his asylum case, click here.
About the National Press Club
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world’s leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major journalism organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.
About the National Press Club Journalism Institute
The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.
Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club