By Catherine Komp, Engagement Director
President-elect Trump’s threat of mass deportations has been in the national headlines for months. But while no concrete policies or plans have been announced (and carrying out such a threat “on day one” is unlikely), there’s been a real impact on local communities here in North Carolina, says La Notica Editor Diego Barahona.
“We have seen a lot of fear, a lot of confusion in our community,” said Barahona. “And it’s part of, we perceive, a strategy of the new administration of fear mongering.”
That fear can lead community members to isolate: they may stop going to the doctor, visiting the local food bank or seeking other resources. They might be reluctant to report crimes, send their kids to school or participate in recreational or civic activities.
For Barahona, it feels a lot like the early days of the COVID pandemic.
“We saw this huge amount of misinformation. People just didn’t know what to believe, what was real or not, and it was overwhelming,” he said. “We understood at the time that we’re more than a newspaper, more than a news organization. We became a community information center.”
Barahona and the La Noticia team continue to be a trusted center of community information. Since the election, they’ve been doing a lot of listening and trying to address people’s questions and concerns, like this explainer on creating an emergency plan for those at risk of being deported. Part of their approach is communicating that changes are expected from the Trump administration but still unknown, while also educating community members about their rights. They’ve been doing more videos, like this one on anti-discrimination protections in housing and work and another on the constitutional rights to get medical treatment regardless of immigration status.
Partnering with the Organization of Hispanic Journalists of the Carolinas, they’re also holding an upcoming in-person “Know your rights” event, featuring local speakers on law, public safety and health care. Barahona says it’s important “not just to report the news, but generate spaces to communicate information.”
Shortly after the election, the La Noticia team also began reaching out to nonprofits and community groups that work with immigrants to ask: do you have a plan?
“At the beginning of November, many of them didn’t know what to do. They just were freaking out,” said Barahona. “In December, we started pushing a little bit more about what are you going to do?”
These inquiries led to a series by Reporter Yuliana Montiel looking at how organizations like the Carolina Migrant Network, Hispanic Federation, and Latin American Coalition were preparing to respond to deportations and other anti-immigrant policies. Barahona says they also made an editorial call to leave some organizations out of the series because they were stretched too thin and couldn’t take on any additional cases.
“We are going to respect that,” he said. “Unfortunately, we have seen many organizations at capacity right now, so I just can’t imagine what’s going to happen in a couple of months.”
Barahona says while they’re ramping up news and information about the local impact of Trump administration policies, as well as state laws like HB10, it’s also important to continue their regular coverage highlighting the arts, culture, local businesses and other leaders in the community, like Charlotte’s Juan Diego Mazuera Arias who recently earned two degrees in political science and public policy despite the barriers of higher education for those with DACA status.
“We have a limited amount of resources, but we need to still keep working on [those types of stories],” said Barahona. “We believe it’s very important to humanize aspects of immigration with those stories.”
While the news cycle will undoubtedly keep a fast pace in the coming months, Barahona says he prioritizes balance, blocking out time for physical activity and, importantly, family.
“Especially for me, having time with family is also a reminder, a huge reminder, about why we are doing this,” he said. “It’s a legacy, it’s the way that we help others, the way that we impact others and also impact ourselves and our own families.”
Below we have some additional tips on covering immigration policy and immigrant communities from Diego and WFAE Race and Equity Reporter Julian Berger as well as a few national resources and upcoming trainings focusing on this topic.
How is your newsroom covering immigration in the months and years ahead? What resources do you need to serve immigrant populations in your community? Let us know by getting in touch at nclocal@elon.edu.
What angles should news organizations consider when covering immigration under the second Trump administration?
Julian Berger: It’s important to consider that not just undocumented people are targeted by Trump’s immigration agenda—TPS holders, green card holders, DACA recipients etc. are also at risk. Children of undocumented people, especially those that are U.S. born, are also at risk.
Diego Barahona: What will affect immigrants will affect everybody. The fastest growing group, demographically speaking, in North Carolina was Latinos. According to the last Census, industries like agriculture, hotels, restaurants, all depend on immigrants. So an impact on these communities will affect everybody. We know that Americans really pay attention to something when it hits their pocket, and probably that’s going to happen sooner than later.
What do you recommend when interviewing people affected by anti-immigration policies?
Julian Berger: Always ask people how they would like to be identified in the story. Do they want their whole name used? Do they want specific details included (hometown, age, school, job, etc.) in the story? Do they want their photos/videos to be included in the story? Sometimes, especially now with heightened rhetoric around immigration, I prefer not to disclose any of the information above to protect my interview subjects—especially if they are undocumented or they are DACA/TPS holders where those programs are in limbo.
Diego Barahona: Try not to have this transactional relationship with the affected. In many cases with our reporters, they have invested days in a story and at the end there are people who don’t want to talk. It’s okay. It’s part of the learning experience. If you mingle with people and they believe that they are receiving real attention from you, beyond the transactional, beyond being in an article or report, that’s going to be impactful. You will have these relationships that will last for many, many years and that’s also really valuable.
What else are you doing to prepare?
Diego Barahona: We cannot do it alone, of course. It’s a lot of work to do. So we are working closely with some community partners, organizations that are working with the community, experts in immigration, in health, in public safety, and in other areas. I’m a firm believer of collaborations and we have fantastic local news outlets all over North Carolina, in South Carolina, with people that are in the community. So I believe collaborations are crucial and very important for news organizations.
Additional Resources
📅 Reporting Responsibly on Immigration Policies in Times of Crisis: The Pivot Fund, in collaboration with Latinas Represent, is hosting a virtual event for journalists, policymakers, nonprofit advocates, and activists to participate in meaningful dialogue on addressing immigration challenges. Topics include: strategies for bridging gaps between key stakeholders; promoting balanced, culturally inclusive reporting; and collaborative approaches to strengthening democracy. Today/Wednesday, January 15, 6:00-7:00 pm ET.
📅 Immigration and Border Coverage: The Center for Community News presents a virtual panel examining approaches to covering immigration and evolving stories, featuring Kate Gannon, University of El Paso who directs BorderZine, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, an immigration reporter at the New York Times and Lourdes Cardenas, from San Francisco State University. February 20, Noon ET.
📚Journalists, immigration is about to become a huge topic. Here’s help covering Trump’s second term (Poynter)
📚Trump’s Immigration Lies Paid Off at the Polls (The Marshall Project)
📚 The Biden Administration Is on Pace to Match Trump Deportation Numbers—Focusing on the Border, Not the U.S. Interior (Migration Policy Institute)
📚Reimagining Immigration News: North Carolina’s Case for the Nation (Define American)
