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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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“Wild Things Are Happening,” on view till September, showcases the children's book author’s work and legacy.
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Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez says he’s retiring to take care of his ailing father, but the announcement comes amid district turmoil.
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As the deadline for undocumented community college students to apply for financial aid approaches, advocates are doubling down on their summer outreach.
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Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against a medical sterilizer using ethylene oxide include cancer patients in the city of Maywood, as well as residents who’ve lost loved ones. The company denies wrongdoing.
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Completion rates are down statewide following the new FAFSA’s troubled rollout, but some districts managed to maintain last year’s levels.
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The summer will be chock-full of webinars and in-person workshops. Advocates are also calling on the federal government to make it easier to apply.
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An Orange County judge had paused a strike by the University of California's academic workers. The strike is now over, but the underlying fight will continue.
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If you need last-minute support to complete your application, professional help is available.
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Across California, tens of thousands of students with learning disabilities are navigating higher ed. But not all of them are getting the support they need, and many have to learn to advocate for themselves.
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There’s a lot of help available, but students have to take the first step.
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Academic workers at six UC campuses have been on strike over how the university system responded to recent campus protests.
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For weeks, the UC system and the union that represents the workers have been trading jabs, urging the other side to compromise in time for finals.
