John Washington

@jbwashing

John Washington is a staff writer at Arizona Luminaria, where he writes about immigration and border politics, as well as criminal-justice issues and the arts. He is also an award-winning translator, having translated Óscar Martinez, Anabel Hernández, and Sandra Rodriguez Nieto, among others. His most recent book, The Case for Open Borders, was published by Haymarket Books in 2024. Find more of his work at: https://johnwashington.substack.com/

The Amount of Money Being Made Ripping Migrant Families Apart Is Staggering

The Amount of Money Being Made Ripping Migrant Families Apart Is Staggering The Amount of Money Being Made Ripping Migrant Families Apart Is Staggering

Immigration enforcement agencies’ budgets topped a whopping $23.7 billion in 2018—and a lot of that is being funneled back into the private sector.

Oct 28, 2019 / John Washington

‘I Used to Wonder What My Karma Was That I Had to End Up in a Place Like This’

‘I Used to Wonder What My Karma Was That I Had to End Up in a Place Like This’ ‘I Used to Wonder What My Karma Was That I Had to End Up in a Place Like This’

A Nepali TPS holder and domestic worker describes what it’s like to live in the US without papers and to fight for workers’ rights.

Sep 18, 2019 / John Washington

The Latest Link in Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Chain: El Salvador’s New Border Patrol

The Latest Link in Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Chain: El Salvador’s New Border Patrol The Latest Link in Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Chain: El Salvador’s New Border Patrol

The new enforcement agency is more about preventing migrants from leaving the country than it is about protecting El Salvador’s borders.

Sep 16, 2019 / Nelson Rauda and John Washington

Mexico’s Crackdown Is Making the Migrant Crisis Worse

Mexico’s Crackdown Is Making the Migrant Crisis Worse Mexico’s Crackdown Is Making the Migrant Crisis Worse

Under pressure from the US to ramp up deterrence, security forces have been implicated in the killing of at least two migrants this year.

Aug 9, 2019 / John Washington

‘It’s Not Shameful to Work in the Fields. But It’s Hard.’

‘It’s Not Shameful to Work in the Fields. But It’s Hard.’ ‘It’s Not Shameful to Work in the Fields. But It’s Hard.’

Americans don’t want these jobs, or can’t do them—so nearly a quarter of a million guest workers do them instead.

Jul 29, 2019 / John Washington

The Migrant Crisis, Through the Eyes of Human Traffickers

The Migrant Crisis, Through the Eyes of Human Traffickers The Migrant Crisis, Through the Eyes of Human Traffickers

Emiliano Monge’s novel Among the Lost leads a reader through the hellish migrant trail from the perspective of its most amoral agents.

Jul 17, 2019 / Books & the Arts / John Washington

The US Is Making a Mockery of Its Asylum Obligations

The US Is Making a Mockery of Its Asylum Obligations The US Is Making a Mockery of Its Asylum Obligations

Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy sends asylum seekers into dangerous border towns where they struggle to keep safe.

Jul 3, 2019 / John Washington

‘“Are You Illegal?” I Will Never Forget Those Words.’

‘“Are You Illegal?” I Will Never Forget Those Words.’ ‘“Are You Illegal?” I Will Never Forget Those Words.’

A young woman, brought to the US as a baby and abandoned and abused by her parents, struggles to gain status and stay in her beloved Bronx.

Jun 10, 2019 / John Washington

Refugee holding a sign

What Would an Open-Borders World Actually Look Like? What Would an Open-Borders World Actually Look Like?

Borders have turned the American Southwest, the Mediterranean, and countless other areas of our world into unnecessary graveyards for migrants. It’s time for a new way.

Apr 24, 2019 / John Washington

‘I Don’t Want to Stay in a Country That Doesn’t Want Me As Badly as I Want It’

‘I Don’t Want to Stay in a Country That Doesn’t Want Me As Badly as I Want It’ ‘I Don’t Want to Stay in a Country That Doesn’t Want Me As Badly as I Want It’

The visa-holding university student who grew up in the United States but may never be able to work here.

Apr 15, 2019 / John Washington

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