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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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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.
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Glendale Community College’s film, TV, and media arts department now offers coursework in documentary filmmaking and the chance to study abroad.
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In a 6-3 vote, the majority ruled to affirm the nation’s 158-year-old legal standard.
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To combat the unauthorized practice of immigration law, advocates are calling for legislative action.
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Artist-in-residence Liseth Amaya is collecting at least a thousand wooden hexagons, decorated by youths as part of a City Hall commission.
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As the 2026 men’s World Cup unfolds, L.A. soccer lovers weigh in on the park that’s been at the center of controversy.
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The detentions ignited sweeping marches and ongoing community activism.
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In 2024, a group of Southeast L.A. residents filed a lawsuit against Sterigenics, a company that uses a controversial chemical to sterilize medical equipment.
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The deal expands access for students, faculty, staff and recent alumni.
