18. Esmy Jimenez

By NWPB NWPB
Headshot of reporter Esmy Jimenez.
In this episode of Traverse Talks with Sueann Ramella, reporter Esmy Jimenez talks about her life growing up in a rural part of central Washington as an undocumented immigrant, being the first in her family to navigate governmental organizations, and the fun and hardship of reporting on the never ending news cycle. Esmy has reported for… Read More

President Biden Says ‘Nothing Has Changed’ But Child Migrants Crossing Border At Higher Pace

By NPR News
Graphic of unaccompanied minors crossing US-Mexico border - today and through 2014
It is true, as Biden states, that numbers often rise during the early months of the year when temperatures begin to warm. But the number of children arriving today without their parents is considerably higher than at the same time in 2019 and 2020. In fact, the number of unaccompanied children being apprehended by the Border Patrol were higher in February than they've been Read More

Undocumented Workers, Disproportionately Hit By Pandemic, May Get More Help In Washington

By NWPB News
Ramón Núñez is currently driving for food delivery services to make money after switching from driving for Uber in order to lessen his exposure to COVID-19. He is photographed in Issaquah on Jan. 27, 2021. He is one of about 60,000 undocumented immigrants to get funds from the state during the pandemic. CREDIT: Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut
If approved next month, the additional $70 million would make Washington state a nationwide leader in help offered to the undocumented community, which has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, Latino and Black people in particular. Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an unprecedented $125 million in aid for undocumented workers. Washington state Read More

In Central Washington, Immigrants Fear Going To Courthouses Over Chance Of Federal Entanglement

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa
The Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata, pictured in November 2019, where federal immigration authorities have been spotted arresting undocumented people going to court since 2017. In front of the courthouse steps, Brenda Rodriguez with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network takes a phone call while a volunteer hands out “Know Your Rights” pamphlets. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB
Nicolas was afraid of setting foot in the Grant County District Court. Members of the community, immigrant advocates and public defenders say they have spotted federal immigration officers arresting undocumented people at the court regularly. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration officers do make arrests in courthouses but only against targeted Read More

Washington Attorney General Sues To Stop Federal Immigration Arrests At County Courthouses

By Esmy Jimenez
Jesus Zepeda Salas marches in Ellensburg Sunday, Sept. 29, holding a sign challenging Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana’s legacy as the longest-serving sheriff in Washington State. Immigration rights advocates called on Dana to cancel a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement before his retirement in October. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB
The suit filed in U.S. Western District of Washington targets the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Customs & Border Protection. The Attorney General's Office said the arrests were made while immigrants entered a courthouse to pay for non-violent, seemingly mundane things; think parking tickets, vehicle tabs, or to file restraining Read More
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