Author: Valeria Fernández
Bio: Valeria Fernández is an independent journalist from Uruguay with more than a 14 years experience as a bilingual documentary producer and reporter on Arizona’s immigrant community and the US-Mexico borderlands. She co-directed and produced "Two Americans,” a documentary that parallels the stories of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and a 9-year-old U.S. citizen whose parents were arrested by the sheriff’s deputies that aired in Al Jazeera America. Her work as reporter for the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting on the economic and social impacts of a mine spill in Northern Mexico broadcast in PBS, San Diego and won an Arizona Press Club recognition for environmental reporting in 2016. She freelances for a number of print, digital and broadcast media outlets, including Feet in 2 Worlds, CNN Español, Radio Bilingue, PRI's Global Nation, Al Jazeera, and Discovery Spanish.
Contributions:
Posted on: 11 Nov 2011
The defeat of Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce in Tuesday’s recall election may make state lawmakers more cautious about supporting bills restricting illegal immigration. But supporters of Pearce, the architect of SB 1070, say they won’t be deterred.
Posted on: 31 May 2011
Both supporters and opponents of Arizona’s SB 1070 see reason for hope in last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the state law requiring employers to verify the immigration status of prospective employees.
Posted on: 22 Apr 2011
The signing of SB 1070 by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23, 2010 struck fear in many undocumented immigrants. But the law also had the unintended consequence of emboldening some immigrants to get involved in politics and community organizing.
Posted on: 18 Feb 2011
Shawna Forde, the founder of a vigilante border group, could face the death penalty after she was found guilty on Monday of killing 9-year-old Bricenia Flores and her father Raúl Flores in 2009. By Valeria Fernandez reporting for New America Media.
Posted on: 30 Dec 2010
Mobile Voices is a multimedia platform that uses cell phones to help day laborers, household workers, and other immigrants express their thoughts and tell stories on the Internet.
Posted on: 29 Jul 2010
Immigrants in Arizona are relieved SB 1070 was blocked by an injunction, but they say their position continues to be perilous, and the fight is far from over.
Posted on: 28 Jul 2010
Arizona’s new law requiring local and state police to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants is scheduled to go into effect tomorrow, unless a federal judge rules otherwise.
Posted on: 23 Jul 2010
Valeria Fernandez in Phoenix cuts through the rhetoric and finds there actually is common ground between opponents and supporters of Arizona’s new immigration law.
Posted on: 15 Jun 2010
10 year old Katherine Figueroa traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak to members of Congress about the potential impact of Arizona’s SB 1070 on children.
Posted on: 31 May 2010
Detained in an immigration raid and subsequently released, the Figueroas were among the thousands who protested in Phoenix on Saturday.
