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/

These Haunting Photos Show the Deadly Absurdity of the US-Mexico Border Wall

These Haunting Photos Show the Deadly Absurdity of the US-Mexico Border Wall These Haunting Photos Show the Deadly Absurdity of the US-Mexico Border Wall

A collaboration between photographer Richard Misrach and experimental composer Guillermo Galindo captures the austere brutality of the borderlands.

May 11, 2016 / Photo Essay / John Washington

The US Wants to Deport This Palestinian—but First It’d Have to Recognize Palestine

The US Wants to Deport This Palestinian—but First It’d Have to Recognize Palestine The US Wants to Deport This Palestinian—but First It’d Have to Recognize Palestine

Officially “stateless” in the eyes of the US government, Hisham Shaban Ghalia has ground the mechanisms of deportation to a halt.

Mar 28, 2016 / John Washington

In El Salvador, Journalism Can Get You Killed

In El Salvador, Journalism Can Get You Killed In El Salvador, Journalism Can Get You Killed

The recent death threats against three journalists are just another sign of the social breakdown of the most violent country in the world.

Sep 8, 2015 / John Washington

Central American migrants aboard a train in Mexico

Who Killed Beylin Sarmiento? Who Killed Beylin Sarmiento?

For Central American migrants, the journey through Mexico has become a gauntlet of violence at the hands of criminals, drug cartels—and even the authorities.

Aug 11, 2015 / John Washington

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