New York
New York is home to some of the country’s busiest immigration courts and some of its most contested detention facilities. Reporters from Syracuse University traced the journey of asylum seekers from upstate holding centers to lower Manhattan courtrooms, uncovering long delays, limited legal representation and communities left waiting for answers.
Syracuse University
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Funding cut halts farm dream
Story by Wesley J. Pérez Vidal
Graphics by Jesse Renee Kennedy
The Trump administration derailed a decade-long effort by immigrant farmworkers in New York to purchase land, launch a cooperative farm and become owners rather than laborers.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Coming to Cuse Podcast
Story by Project Staff & Jai’La Du Rousseau & Patricia Diaz
Graphics by Cayla Israel
A podcast series about immigrating to the Salt City
Oswego’s Safe Haven Museum CNY’s ‘forgotten’ Holocaust refugees
Story by Julia Boehning
Photos by Cassie Roshu
Fort Ontario was the only Holocaust refugee camp in the U.S. Its leaders say its story matters more than ever.
Life inside Upstate New York’s ICE detention center
Story by Project Staff
A delayed Christmas, detainee testimony and a surprise DHS inspection offer a rare window into conditions inside the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.
ICE split her family apart
Story by Elany Romero Cruz & Megan Ebken
Photos by Ella Chan
A Central New York father of two was deported without a hearing, devastating the wife and sons he left behind.
Interpreters can shape asylum hearings
Story by Wesley J. Pérez Vidal & Ben Butler & Olivia Boyer
Photos by Cassie Roshu
Immigration courts heavily rely on remote interpreters. When things go wrong, it can have life-altering consequences.
Venezuelan mother worries family will be separated
Story by Elany Romero Cruz
Photos by Ike Wood
A Venezuelan mother recalls the fear of walking into immigration court, where every hearing carries uncertainty for families seeking to stay in the U.S.
ICE expansion after 9/11 attacks
Story by Cooper Andrews & Jack DiNapoli & Patricia Diaz
Photos by Ike Wood
The 9/11 attacks preceded the signing of the Homeland Security Act in 2002, which led to the creation of ICE. Now, it’s the U.S.'s highest-funded law enforcement agency.
Immigration courts backlog has grown since 2012
Story by Duncan Green & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Immigration cases have swelled since 2012. Though courts have moved faster the past two years, critics say the Trump admin’s “efficiency” comes at the expense of due process.
How Syracuse’s immigrants navigate a changing system
Story by Sara Oppenheimer & Evan Edmiston
Photos by Christine Kao
As backlogs grow and ICE enforcement expands, immigrants across New York face a process that feels more uncertain than ever.
Syracuse’s Italian Americans keep culture alive through charity
Story by Sofia Kissel
Photos by Rebecca Beckas
From shoe drives to church food pantries, Syracuse’s Italian Americans carry forward a legacy of generosity.
European hockey prospects fight for their spot in the NHL
Story by Will Broad & Josh Solomon
Photos by Ike Wood
European hockey players dream of making it to the NHL, but the journey to first playing in the American Hockey League isn’t easy.
Making time for traditions
Story by Kira Desai & Olivia Boyer & Maya Aguirre
Some U.S. immigrants and international students follow two different calendars and work harder to maintain their traditions from home.
International students come to US to chase their dreams
Story by Trinity Corbett & Kyra Wood & James Mullarkey & Max Olson
International students come to the United States in search of opportunity, but the journey requires them to navigate unfamiliar environments and redefine what home and belonging mean.
How international students navigate collegiate soccer
Story by Rohan Borges & Felipe Ferraz de Souza Miranda
Photos by Ella Chan
International soccer players at Bryant & Stratton College take the field knowing the stakes.
“Not a real Haitian”
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Schneider Joachim is sometimes shunned by other Haitian immigrants for not speaking Creole well. Now, he leans into his heritage by starting a Creole food truck in Syracuse.
Bulgarian coach was ‘en garde’ for a new beginning
Story by Lauren Jones & Alex Rubinson
Photos by Ella Chan
Immigrant Lubomir Kalpaktchiev is fulfilling his dream with the Syracuse Musketeers Fencing Club.
Immigrants and ethnic eats fuel Salt City in Syracuse
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Salt City Market’s leaders say they had to be intentional about creating spaces for immigrant entrepreneurs to thrive.
Out of ICE detention, a Syracuse man still lives in fear of deportation
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
Photos by Liam Kennedy
When ICE detained Rafael, his family relied on TikTok, Instagram reels and themselves.
Your judge may matter more than your immigration case
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
For detained immigrants filing habeas corpus petitions, the luck of the judicial draw could mean the difference between freedom and remaining in detention.
Syracuse Cuban couple detained amid Trump immigration crackdown
Photos by Ella Chan & Cassie Roshu
Story by Anna Momo
A same-sex Cuban couple from Syracuse was poised to receive asylum. Then they were ordered to be deported.
SU student’s nonprofit delivers food to Kenya
Story by Jai’La Du Rousseau
Founded by Abdul Rahman Abdi, a refugee who came to Syracuse, Sadaqa Foundation Inc. provides food to communities in Kenya.
What is a habeas corpus petition?
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
Explaining one of the only ways detained migrants can be released from ICE detention.