Asylum for a Spanish-Language Reporter Facing Deportation

During a news conference about his 15 months in detention, Spanish-speaking reporter Manuel Duran addresses questions from media representatives.

Manuel Duran, a Spanish-language reporter who had been facing deportation since he was arrested covering a protest at an immigration checkpoint in Tennessee, has been granted asylum in the United States, his lawyers announced Thursday.

The Associated Press spoke with Manuel Duran on the phone, who said an immigration court had granted him asylum four years after he had been arrested while working for a Spanish language newspaper. "I'm very happy for this victory after so much time fighting for this case to be resolved. I'm very emotional," Duran, 46, said in Spanish. "My family is celebrating with me. We didn't think it would happen because it was a difficult case."

Originally from El Salvador, Manuel Duran has been fighting for asylum ever since he was arrested while reporting on an immigration protest in Memphis on April 3, 2018. On April 4, protesters blocked a downtown street in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.

Charges relating to protests were subsequently dropped, but Duran was detained by immigration agents after being released from jail. Duran was not targeted due to coverage that was critical of law enforcement, according to Memphis police. He was being held in Louisiana and Alabama facilities until he was released by   Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As Duran's case was argued, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta granted him an indefinite stay of deportation. He was represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Advocates for Immigrant Rights. "The positive resolution of my case today is a triumph in the fight to defend the First Amendment," Duran said in a statement released by the center. "This victory is dedicated to all the journalists being persecuted in this moment, because no journalist should have to fear to do their job."

As noted by Casey Bryant, the executive director of Advocates for Immigrant Rights, the immigration judge "noted that the First Amendment is one of the most cherished rights of this nation and thanked Manuel for his courage in exposing corruption in El Salvador.".

Lawyers for the journalist asserted that the situation for journalists in El Salvador had worsened and he might be in danger if he returned. The immigration board acknowledged that conditions for reporters in Duran's home country had deteriorated since his initial deportation order.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Associated Press Media Editors, and other groups have filed amicus briefs on Duran's behalf.

Representative Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat whose office had been in contact with Duran and government officials since he was arrested, applauded the court's decision and Duran's "commitment to the principles of a free press."