Eli Hager

Reporter

Photo of Eli Hager

Eli Hager is a reporter covering issues affecting children and teens in the Southwest.

He joined ProPublica from The Marshall Project, where as a staff writer for six years he focused primarily on juvenile justice, family court, foster care, schools and other issues affecting youth. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, two-time Livingston Award finalist and three-time finalist for the Education Writers Association’s national award, his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Guardian, New York Magazine, USA Today, NPR and elsewhere.

Hager’s investigation of juvenile justice agencies that bill parents for their children’s incarceration led to the practice being banned in Philadelphia the day after the story published and later statewide in California. His investigation of foster care agencies that pocket Social Security money intended for disabled children led to the practice being banned in both New York City and Los Angeles. After he published a yearlong investigation of deaths, crashes, escapes and abuses on for-profit prisoner transport vans, the Justice Department launched a probe of the industry.

Hager is based in Phoenix.

Despite Trump’s Win, School Vouchers Were Again Rejected by Majorities of Voters

In several Republican-led states, popular sentiment on the voucher issue has been overridden by the efforts of special interest groups and powerful governors who have enacted sweeping voucher programs that often benefit affluent families.

Trump Says He’ll Fight for Working-Class Americans. His First Presidency Suggests He Won’t.

From cutting children's disability benefits to allowing employers to pocket workers' tips, Trump tried to slash protections for the working poor in ways that have been forgotten by many.

The U.S. Business Community Used to Be a Force for Immigration Reform. What Happened?

For decades, the business lobby fundamentally moderated the nation’s immigration debate. But in the age of Trump, fearful of advocating publicly on this issue, they’ve largely prioritized other things like corporate tax cuts and deregulation.

In a State With School Vouchers For All, Low-Income Families Aren’t Choosing to Use Them

Working-class parents often express interest in vouchers. But in Arizona, the nation’s school choice capital, these families aren’t using them due to the inaccessibility of private schools and the costs of transportation, meals and uniforms.

In an Unprecedented Move, Ohio Is Funding the Construction of Private Religious Schools

The state is giving millions in taxpayer dollars directly to private schools to help them renovate and expand their campuses. It may be the next frontier in the push to increase the use of school vouchers, proponents say.

School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget.

Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, has spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it’s now facing hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects.

More States Are Allowing Child Support Payments to Reach Children

Since a ProPublica investigation found that states were seizing child support headed to families as reimbursement for the mother having received welfare, at least six states have changed their policies. Others are debating doing the same.

An Expert Who Has Testified in Foster Care Cases Across Colorado Admits Her Evaluations Are Unscientific

Diane Baird labeled her method for assessing families the “Kempe Protocol” after the renowned University of Colorado institute where she worked for decades. The school has yet to publicly disavow it.

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Biden Administration to Overhaul Welfare Following ProPublica Reporting

The Administration for Children and Families has quietly proposed closing loopholes in the nation's cash assistance program for the poor that a 2021 ProPublica investigation found states had exploited for years.

Child Welfare Officials Have Searched Her Home and Her Son Dozens of Times. She’s Suing Them to Stop.

Despite no evidence a mother mistreated her child, New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services continues to enter her home without a warrant. She has filed a lawsuit, citing ProPublica’s reporting, arguing her rights are being violated.

When Foster Parents Don’t Want to Give Back the Baby

In many states, adoption lawyers are pushing a new legal strategy that forces biological parents to compete for custody of their children.

Texas, New York Diverge on Requiring Miranda-Style Warnings in Child Welfare Cases

Supporters in New York said they’ll continue to pursue legislation requiring caseworkers to inform parents of their rights during investigations by child protective services. Meanwhile, in Texas, a similar law takes effect in September.

NYC Child Welfare Agency Says It Supports “Miranda Warning” Bill for Parents. But It’s Quietly Lobbying to Weaken It.

Despite publicly claiming to support a measure that would require child protective services agents to read people their rights, the city’s Administration for Children’s Services has privately proposed gutting the bill.

Juveniles Locked Up for Life Will Get a Second Chance in New Mexico. But the State Must Locate Them First.

A new law will grant parole hearings for prisoners given life or long sentences as children. But our reporting showed that New Mexico officials weren’t aware of at least 21 “juvenile lifers” in the state’s custody.

New Mexico Has Lost Track of Juveniles Locked Up for Life. We Found Nearly Two Dozen.

New legislation would require the New Mexico Corrections Department to help schedule parole hearings for prisoners given life sentences as children. But the agency wasn’t aware of at least 21 “juvenile lifers” in its custody.

Arizona Child Welfare Director Dismissed Amid GOP Attacks Speaks Out

Gov. Katie Hobbs said she appointed Matthew Stewart to “transform” Arizona’s troubled child welfare system. But as an election-denying Republican was gearing up to attack him, she gave up on her pick.

Arizona’s Governor-Elect Chooses Critic of Racial Disparities in Child Welfare to Lead CPS Agency

Matthew Stewart will become the first Black leader of the Department of Child Safety, which ProPublica and NBC News found had investigated the families of 1 in 3 Black children in metro Phoenix during a recent five-year period.

In Child Welfare Cases, Most of Your Constitutional Rights Don’t Apply

The child welfare system rarely offers the same rights as the criminal justice system, leaving many families facing permanent separation without due process protections.

The “Death Penalty” of Child Welfare: In Six Months or Less, Some Parents Lose Their Kids Forever

Twenty-five years ago, Congress passed a law aimed at speeding up adoptions of children languishing in foster care. In the process, it destroyed hundreds of thousands of families through the termination of parental rights.

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