Michael Grabell

Senior Editor

Photo of Michael Grabell

Michael Grabell is a senior editor with ProPublica. Grabell has previously written about economic issues, labor, immigration and trade. He has reported on the ground from more than 35 states, as well as some of the remotest villages in Alaska and Guatemala. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New York Times and on Vice and NPR.

Grabell has won two George Polk awards and has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize — in 2021, as part of a team covering COVID-19, and in 2019, with Ginger Thompson and Topher Sanders, for stories that helped expose the impact of family separation at the border and abuse in immigrant children’s shelters. The latter work also won a Peabody award and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

He previously won the Gerald Loeb Award for business journalism for his investigation into the dismantling of workers’ compensation and an ASNE award for reporting on diversity for his series on the growth of temp work in the economy.

They Got Hurt at Work. Then They Got Deported.

How insurance companies use a Florida law to get undocumented immigrants arrested and deported when they get injured on the job — and what it means in Trump’s America.

Senator Demands Answers From Case Farms

An investigation by ProPublica and The New Yorker documented how the chicken company turned to immigrants to work at its plants. Then, when they got hurt or fought back, it used America’s laws against them.

Is Trump Administration’s Visa Push a Way to Win Health Care Votes?

In directing staffers at the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to draft a rule increasing the number of guest-worker visas, senior political officials specifically highlighted businesses in Maine and Alaska, home to senators who hold crucial health care votes.

Can Low-Wage Industries Survive Without Immigrants and Refugees

Case Farms’ history shows how many sectors like meatpacking depend on immigrants and refugees. Now business leaders fear President Trump’s policies will create a labor shortage.

Sold for Parts

One of the most dangerous companies in the U.S. took advantage of immigrant workers. Then, when they got hurt or fought back, it used America’s laws against them.

Vendidos por Piezas

Una de las empresas más peligrosas en los Estados Unidos se aprovechó de trabajadores inmigrantes. Después, cuando se hicieron daño o se resistieron, la empresa utilizó las leyes americanas contra ellos.

Photos: Returning to the Roots of Case Farms’ Workforce

One of the most dangerous companies in the U.S. took advantage of immigrant workers. Then, when they got hurt or fought back, it used America’s laws against them.

Conociendo los orígenes de la mano de obra de Case Farms

Ensayo Fotográfico: Conociendo los orígenes de la mano de obra de Case Farms

New Bill in Illinois Would Increase Temp Worker Protections

Even as the economy has improved, workers nationwide struggle to find traditional, full-time jobs. Illinois’ would increase safety protections for temp workers and track how many moved into permanent jobs.

U.S. Labor Department: States Are Failing Injured Workers

A new Department of Labor report says cuts to state workers’ comp systems have left injured workers with inadequate benefits and raises the specter of federal oversight. The findings echo those of a ProPublica and NPR investigation last year.

Oklahoma’s Top Court: Companies Can’t Set Own Rules for Injured Workers

A national campaign led by Walmart, Lowe’s and other big companies to let employers opt out of workers’ comp insurance was dealt a blow after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled such plans unconstitutional.

Split Decision on NYPD’s X-ray Vans

A state appeals court said the NYPD doesn’t have to tell the public about how it has used X-ray vans to detect explosives or how much they cost. But it does have to tell them about radiation risks.

Corporate Campaign to Ditch Workers’ Comp Stalls

An Oklahoma commission ruled that a state law allowing companies to “opt out” of workers’ comp and write their own plans was unconstitutional while similar bills in other states lose steam.

The TSA Releases Data on Air Marshal Misconduct, 7 Years After We Asked

Federal air marshals were arrested nearly 150 times between late 2002 and early 2012. Why did it take the Transportation Security Administration seven and a half years to release the data?

‘All of This Because Somebody Got Hurt at Work’

Hummer limos, go-go dancers, a live alligator and glowing aliens in spandex at the national workers’ comp and disability expo. Journey into the little-known workers’ comp industrial complex.

Tyson Foods’ Secret Recipe for Carving Up Workers’ Comp

Over the past 25 years, the giant meatpacking company has taken a lead in pushing for changes in workers’ comp in state after state — often to the detriment of workers.

State Lawmakers to Investigate Workers’ Comp Opt Out

In response to a ProPublica and NPR investigation, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators said it will look into an effort by some of the biggest names in corporate America to opt out of workers’ comp.

U.S. Lawmakers Call for More Oversight of Workers’ Comp

In response to a ProPublica and NPR investigation, members of Congress are urging the labor secretary to come up with a plan to protect injured workers and taxpayers.

Inside Corporate America’s Campaign To Ditch Workers’ Comp

One Texas lawyer is helping companies opt out of workers’ compensation and write their own rules. What does it mean for injured workers?

Price Check: How Companies Value Body Parts

Benefits for the same body part can differ dramatically depending on which company you work for.

Follow ProPublica

Latest Stories from ProPublica