For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.
It’s been nearly a year since Mother Jones published our cover story on the plight of exiled Mexican journalist Emilio Gutiérrez Soto, and in that time the Mexican drug war death count has soared to 23,000 since President Calderón launched his war on the cartels in December of 2006. Emilio’s home state of Chihuahua has been the hardest hit, with an estimated 6,757 people killed. While Emilio is still waiting for his asylum trial, the stats don’t look good: of the 13,000 asylum claims from Mexico filed over the past three years, only 232 have been granted. Emilio is again working for his long-time employers, El Diario, in their El Paso office, where PBS’s excellent new show (and Climate Desk partner) Need to Know checks in on him:
