A Familiar KVIA Face Is Coming Home to El Paso After 4 Years

Just a few years ago, I found myself writing about the news that several familiar faces were leaving KVIA-ABC-7. It happens every year, because that’s just the business!

One of the people I wrote about was someone I used to work with when I was at KVIA, Mauricio Casillas. He was heading to Washington to continue his work as a reporter and anchor!

While in Washington he covered big stories, became a husband, and also a first time dad! Well, fast-forward to 2026, and Mauricio is making his way back home to join KVIA as their evening co-anchor!

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Mauricio Casillas is coming back to El Paso!

One of the beautiful things about El Paso is that no matter how far you go, this city has a way of remaining home. You can build a career somewhere else, experience new places, meet new people and grow in ways you never imagined, but there is something about coming back to the Borderland that feels different.

After four years of reporting and anchoring in Washington, D.C., Casillas is returning to KVIA-TV, where he will join Marcel Clarke as co-anchor of ABC-7's weekday 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts beginning at the end of September.

For me, this one feels a little more personal because I had the opportunity to work with Mauricio during my time at KVIA, and I got to watch his career evolve firsthand. When he first joined the station in 2016, he made history as KVIA's first-ever morning traffic reporter. But he didn't stay in that role for long.

Courtesy: Iris Lopez

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A Full Circle Moment For El Pasoan Mauricio Casillas

I watched Mauricio go from traffic anchor, to morning reporter, to morning anchor and eventually to anchor and executive producer of Good Morning El Paso. It was one of those careers you could watch growing right in front of you!

And now, years later, he gets to come back to the station where it all started. This time as part of the evening anchor team. That is one heck of a full-circle moment.

During his six years at KVIA, Casillas earned an Emmy for Best Morning Newscast in the small-market category. In 2022, he left El Paso for Washington, D.C., joining NBC4 Washington, where he spent the next four years covering major breaking news, politics, public safety and stories impacting communities across the nation's capital. He also reported in Spanish for Telemundo Washington.

His time in Washington wasn't exactly a small chapter in his career either. Casillas earned two additional Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award while working in D.C., gaining experience at one of the country's major television markets.

Now, he's bringing all of that knowledge and experience back to the city that helped shape him.

"El Paso is home. There is no place like it anywhere else. The opportunity to come back to my community and tell stories was one I couldn't pass up," Casillas said.

Courtesy: Iris Lopez

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And I think that sentiment is something a lot of El Pasoans can understand. Mauricio isn't just coming back to a job. He's coming back to the community that has been part of his story from the beginning.

He and his wife, Diana, are both El Paso natives. The couple met here, their families are here and they welcomed their son, Luca, in March 2025. Now they're bringing their family home.

"I had an incredible four years in Washington, D.C. I had the chance to work with some of the best journalists in the country," Casillas said. "The growth I've experienced in D.C. will only allow me to better serve El Pasoans when I make my return."

Courtesy: KVIA/Mauricio Casillas

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Having worked alongside Mauricio, I've always respected his dedication to journalism and the way he approaches storytelling. But beyond the anchor desk and the newsroom, I'm also happy to see a friend return home!

KVIA General Manager Brenda De Anda-Swann called it a "great full-circle moment" for Mauricio, noting that he left KVIA to work at one of the top stations in the country and is now returning to put that experience to work in his own community.

I couldn't agree more, and now, viewers will get to see what happens when a journalist leaves home, grows somewhere else and then brings everything he learned back with him.

Courtesy: Iris Lopez

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Casillas said returning to ABC-7 also means returning to the community that helped shape his career.

"El Paso is where my wife and I met. It's where our families live. And it's where we want to raise our son," he said. "The privilege to report on a community I love, surrounded by people I love, is one that I will be eternally grateful for."

Welcome home, my friend.