Spanish-language reporter wins temporary stay of deportation

November 16, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. | Updated November 16, 2018 at 1:17 a.m.

by Associated Press

In this April 3, 2018 photo, Memphis police arrest Spanish-language reporter Manuel Duran during an immigration protest in Memphis, Tenn. Duran, who faces deportation after his arrest while covering the protest in Tennessee said Tuesday, Nov. 13 he was unjustly detained and faces danger if sent back to El Salvador. Duran spoke publicly about his case for the first time since his arrest at the April rally protesting immigration policies the day before the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in downtown Memphis. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
In this April 3, 2018 photo, Memphis police arrest Spanish-language reporter Manuel Duran during an immigration protest in Memphis, Tenn. Duran, who faces deportation after his arrest while covering the protest in Tennessee said Tuesday, Nov. 13 he was unjustly detained and faces danger if sent back to El Salvador. Duran spoke publicly about his case for the first time since his arrest at the April rally protesting immigration policies the day before the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in downtown Memphis. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal via AP)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - An appeals court has granted a two-week reprieve for a Spanish-language reporter facing deportation after he was arrested while covering an immigration rally in Tennessee.

A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday barred the U.S. government from removing Manuel Duran to El Salvador before Nov. 30. Judges are considering a motion to keep Duran in the country as they mull whether to reopen his case.

When Duran was arrested in Memphis in April, he still had a pending deportation order from 2007. Charges related to the protest were dropped but he was handed over to immigration officials and detained.

Duran' lawyers say they plan to ask for asylum if his case is reopened, arguing that conditions are worsening for reporters in El Salvador.

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