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Julia Barajas
What I cover
I strive to bring nuance and context to the issue of immigration, which is often cast as a competition for limited resources or a concern for public safety.
Beholden to no political party, I document the impact of federal immigration policy on Southern California communities—including U.S. citizens of color—while holding our government accountable. My coverage centers human suffering and resilience, with an emphasis on how communities are taking collective action in response to this evolving landscape.
My background
I’ve covered a broad range of issues for English and Spanish-language news media—everything from environmental injustice to the arts. Most recently, I was LAist’s higher education reporter. My work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club, the Press Club of Atlantic City, and the Society for Features Journalism.
My goals
I pledge to reflect SoCal’s economic, ethnic, racial, and linguistic diversity in my reporting. This means making it a point to include people who speak Armenian, Arabic, Farsi, Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Zapotec, and all the other beautiful languages in the place we call home—while acknowledging that Tongva is the first language of this land.
How to contact me
If you or your community have been affected by federal immigration policy, I want to know about it. Also, if you have ideas about stories I should be covering, I welcome your thoughts. You can reach out by email. I'm at jbarajas@laist.com. Or, if you have a tip you’d like to share more privately, you can reach me on Signal. My username is @jbarajas.68.
Stories by Julia Barajas
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Alexandra Lozano had offices across the country, including Southeast L.A.
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Local educators are offering two upcoming trainings for community patrols.
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The person who tested positive is an Anaheim resident.
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L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced seven motions Tuesday, all geared at providing immediate and long-term relief.
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Under state law, rent hikes can be as high as 8.7% starting in August. Here’s what SoCal renters need to know.
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Doctors, nurses and other staff are learning how to make legally valid requests of federal immigration agents — and what to do if officers refuse to comply.
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$496M homeless services budget gets green light moments before release of disappointing 2026 numbersThe decision comes as the embattled agency reports an uptick in homelessness in its annual count.
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The department is negotiating a new contract with Flock Safety, a controversial surveillance company.
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A UCLA report finds that last summer’s mass deportation campaign caused immediate and lasting harm to small businesses.
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Local residents can help keep officials accountable and get compensated for their service.
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Amid reports of unsafe conditions and a surge in deaths at ICE detention facilities, advocates say they’re acting out of a sense of urgency.
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In Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, community members pledge to continue helping their neighbors.
