Back in the United States, in Texas, the immigration lawyer for detained Mexican journalist Emilio Gutiérrez Soto says the Board of Immigration Appeals has reopened Gutiérrez’s asylum case and vacated his deportation order. This means Gutiérrez cannot be deported at the moment and that the Board of Immigration Appeals will now issue a new ruling over whether to grant the journalist asylum. Gutiérrez first sought asylum in the United States in 2008 after receiving death threats for reporting on alleged corruption in the Mexican military. He and his son are currently imprisoned in a U.S. detention center in El Paso, Texas. This is Gutiérrez, speaking in an exclusive jailhouse interview with Democracy Now!

Emilio Gutiérrez Soto: “Well, if we are deported, that obviously implies death. Why? Because ICE, under the Department of Homeland Security of the United States, by law, must give a report to the immigration authorities of Mexico and the consulate. And the immigration officials in Mexico have no credibility. It’s impossible to trust in them. To the contrary, many of those officials, many personnel at the consulate or immigration service, are caught up with organized crime. And organized crime is precisely the Mexican government.”

That’s Mexican journalist Emilio Gutiérrez Soto, speaking by telephone from detention in Texas. His lawyer and press freedom advocates are demanding his and his son’s immediate release. Click here to see our full jailhouse interview with Gutiérrez.