Mexican journalist, son granted asylum after 15-year-long fight

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- After a 15-year-long fight for asylum in the U.S., Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto and his son have been granted asylum.

Following Monday's final asylum hearing, Gutierrez, accompanied by his son, Oscar Gutierrez Soto, spoke to ABC-7. They told us they were overwhelmed with emotion.

"In reality this has been an incredible day that we've been waiting for 15 years," said Gutierrez. "Although they tried to turn off our voice, here we are using it again."

Gutierrez has been fighting for asylum since 2008. He said he feared for his life in Mexico, where he argued his reporting on government corruption put a target on his back.

In the U.S., Gutiérrez and his then 15-year-old son spent long periods in the detention center, and even faced attempted deportation in 2017 when former El Paso Immigration Judge Robert Hough denied his asylum claim.

In September of 2023, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals overturned the deportation ruling, making Gutierrez and his son eligible for asylum.

Oscar Gutierrez called Monday's final ruling a big win. He said it’s a huge relief not to be in limbo and not have to worry that one day, at any moment he and his father could be deported.

Immigration Attorney Eduardo Beckett said this has been a long time coming.

"This is an example that this is what happened to Emilio Gutierrez in Mexico. He critiqued his government and, he also critiqued our government, and he paid a price for it," said Beckett. "It took us 15 years to win, but we finally were able to do it."

Beckett said next they will apply to become legal permit residents, and after aim to become U.S. Citizens.