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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 number of incumbents will ask voters to trust them through choppy waters.
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The campus is celebrating its centennial with a community party that includes plenty of food and music.
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A local for-profit college is making a hard sell to prospective students. But it’s always a good idea to explore your options.
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“Sinks: Places We Call Home,” part of the Getty's PST collaboration, highlights the impacts of toxic pollution and how community members are responding
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A group of local community college students spent the summer learning about climate change — and what they can do to take on the issue professionally.
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For several years, Safe Parking L.A. has provided unhoused Angelenos with a place to park their cars overnight. There are still dozens of spots available.
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A community college upstate asked neighbors to pitch in for student housing. They did, and other campuses are taking note.
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The move comes after a study found varying levels of lead in the neighborhood’s tap water.
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Housing going up at UC Riverside will create much-needed space for university students — and also for hundreds of community college students who are encouraged to transfer.
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The California Student Aid Commission is urging community college students to submit their applications by the deadline, which is for all types of financial aid.
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Researchers examined more than 500 water samples in Watts.
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As lawsuits against a company that uses ethylene oxide get resolved, air regulators are keeping tabs on local facilities.
