This County Was the “Model” for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations.
Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County was one of the first testing grounds for ICE’s 287(g) program, which lets local police enforce immigration laws. Many Arizonans say those abuses parallel what’s playing out now under Trump.
What is the Local Reporting Network?
Since its founding in 2018, the Local Reporting Network has grown into one of ProPublica’s marquee undertakings, bringing together local talented journalists and all the resources our newsroom has to offer. The journalism we create has changed laws, held bad actors to account and helped communities. It has strengthened the craft of local investigative journalism and created a network in dialogue with us and with one another.
In 2024, we launched the 50 State Initiative, a commitment to support yearlong projects in every state by 2029. We have also launched our Sustainability Desk, which allows us to work with former partners on shorter-term investigations. Are you a local journalist interested in collaborating? Please read more about all the ways to collaborate with us.
Arizona Police Agencies Were Once at the Forefront of Local Immigration Enforcement. Now Most Are Avoiding It.
In January, the Trump administration launched a national recruitment campaign to deploy local officers as deportation agents. It has added more than 900 agencies, but only four in Arizona have signed on.
Disabled Idaho Students Lack Access to Playgrounds and Lunchrooms. Historic $2 Billion Funding Will Do Little to Help.
Despite federal law, disabled students can’t access playgrounds, lunchrooms, classes and bathrooms. With added funding, school districts are still unable to make necessary fixes.
Oregon Fast-Tracks Renewable Energy Projects as Trump Bill Ends Tax Incentives
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the move, which follows reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that highlighted impediments green energy advocates blame for the state’s poor ranking when it comes to the growth of renewables.
Partner Newsrooms
These newsrooms and reporters are working with ProPublica on an accountability journalism project.
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Anchorage Daily News
Reporter: Kyle Hopkins
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Arizona Luminaria
Reporter: Rafael Carranza
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The Assembly
Reporter: Ren Larson
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BridgeDetroit
Reporter: Jena Brooker
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Capitol News Illinois
Reporter: Molly Parker
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The Connecticut Mirror
Reporter: Dave Altimari
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The Current
Reporter: Margaret Coker
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The Denver Gazette
Reporter: Christopher Osher
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Flatwater Free Press
Reporter: Chris Bowling
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The Frontier
Reporter: Nick Bowlin
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Honolulu Civil Beat
Reporter: Nick Grube
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Idaho Statesman
Reporter: Becca Savransky
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Invisible Institute
Reporter: María Inés Zamudio
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KQED
Reporter: Holly McDede
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KYUK
Reporter: Emily Schwing
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Lexington Herald-Leader
Reporter: Alex Acquisto
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The New York Amsterdam News
Reporter: Ashad Hajela
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Oregon Public Broadcasting
Reporter: Tony Schick
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The Philadelphia Inquirer
Reporter: Samantha Melamed
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The Salt Lake Tribune
Reporter: Jessica Schreifels
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The Seattle Times
Reporter: Lulu Ramadan
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Street Roots
Reporter: K. Rambo
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Tennessee Lookout
Reporter: Adam Friedman
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The Tributary
Reporter: Nichole Manna
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Verite News
Reporter: Richard A. Webster
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Wisconsin Watch
Reporter: Bennet Goldstein
Featured Series
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Lawless
Sexual Violence in Alaska -
State of Disrepair
Inside Idaho’s Crumbling Schools -
Checked Out
LA’s Lost Residential Hotels
Other Series
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Extracted
How Oil Companies Pull More Money From North Dakota Mineral Owners -
Accusation Dismissed
Chicago’s Failure to Investigate and Discipline Police for Sexual Misconduct -
Criminal Justice Rollback
How Louisiana Is Keeping People in Prison -
Locked Out
Behind Maine’s Homelessness Crisis -
Slow Justice
Why Some Alaska Criminal Cases Drag on for Years -
Broken Pathways
How a Medicaid Work Requirement Program Fails Georgians -
Power Struggle
What Stalled the Northwest’s Push for Green Energy? -
On the Hook
Investigating Towing Practices in Connecticut -
Faith in Power
The Christian Right’s Attempt to Influence Elections -
Guns in Dangerous Hands
How Tennessee’s Justice System Allows Domestic Abusers to Keep Their Firearms -
Power Grab
How Green Energy Hurts Washington’s Tribes -
No Pressure
The Warning Signs of the Jackson Water Crisis -
Power Hungry
Data Centers vs. Green Energy in Washington -
Division of Families
Georgia’s Housing Policies Separate Parents From Children -
Waiting on Paychecks
New York’s Rampant Wage Theft Goes Unpunished -
Mayor, Judge and Jury
Louisiana’s Mayor’s Courts -
Committed to Jail
How Mississippi Jails People for Mental Illness -
No Defense
How Mississippi Fails Poor Defendants -
The Title Pawn Trap
High-Interest Title Lending in Georgia -
The Long Burn
The Slow Recovery From New Mexico’s Largest Wildfire -
Homeowner Hell
Investigating Colorado’s Unregulated Homeowners Associations -
Unequal Discipline
Native Students Face Harsh Discipline in New Mexico -
Nowhere to Go
New Mexico’s Troubled Foster Care System -
Culture of Cruelty
Inside Illinois’ Mental Health System -
Disaster After Disaster
Growing Storms, Faltering Aid -
Broken Promises
Salmon Disappear From the Pacific Northwest -
Unguarded
Investigating Risks to the Incarcerated of Illinois -
Crisis Point
How New York Wrecked Mental Health Care for Kids -
The Price Kids Pay
How Schools and Police Work Together to Punish Students -
Flight Risk
Commercial Aviation Safety in Alaska -
Asset Mismanagement
How the Police Take Money and Keep It -
Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee
Where Kids Meet the Rule of Law -
Schoolyard Sheriffs
Policing Kids in Antelope Valley Schools -
Unwatched
A Louisiana Law Department That Polices Itself -
Black Snow
Big Sugar’s Burning Problem -
Gilded Badges
How New Jersey Cops Profit From Police Unions and Avoid Accountability -
Birth Rights
Investigating Florida’s NICA Program -
Sunken Costs
Coal Ash in Georgia -
State of Denial
Inside Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities -
Promised Land
A Failed Housing Pledge to Native Hawaiians -
Power Play
The Influence of Virginia’s Biggest Utility -
Defenseless
Investigating the Only State Without Public Defenders -
Coming to Collect
Investigating Public Housing in Annapolis -
Paradise Lost
Hawaii’s Disappearing Beaches -
Lessons Lost
How Federal Schools Are Failing Native American Students -
Pollution Profiteers
Inside California’s Toxic Hauling Industry -
The Cutting
Investigating Industrial Logging in Oregon -
Critical Condition
Investigating the Business of Oklahoma’s Rural Hospitals -
At a Great Price
The True Cost of the Sears Headquarters Deal -
Desperation Town
How Youngstown Gave Itself Away for the Promise of Jobs -
Polluter’s Paradise
Environmental Impact in Louisiana -
Campus Complicity
Faculty Sexual Misconduct in Illinois -
The Untouchables
Investigating South Carolina’s Judges -
Miswired
How Kentucky Missed the Tech Revolution -
A 911 Emergency
Rhode Island’s Deadly 911 Flaws -
Invisible Walls
Connecticut’s Separate and Unequal Housing -
The Real Bosses of New Jersey
How Unelected Officials Run Your Government -
Locked Down
An Investigation of Mississippi’s Prisons -
Overcorrection
Crisis in California Jails -
Accused in Elkhart
Justice in an Indiana County -
Louisiana’s Ethical Swamp
Lawmakers’ Conflicts of Interest -
A Sick System
Repeat Attacks After Pleading Insanity -
The New Power Brokers
West Virginia’s Natural Gas Industry -
Half-life
Nuke Lab Workers Getting Sick -
HUD’s House of Cards
Public Housing Failures -
Trauma After Tragedy
PTSD in First Responders
