When they took my son
The stories of two families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. We compare their experiences with what the government said was supposed to happen.
Staff
Biography
Aura Bogado is a reporter for Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, covering immigration. Previously, she was a staff writer at Grist, where she wrote about the intersection of race and the environment. She also was the news editor at Colorlines and a writer for The Nation. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The American Prospect, Mother Jones and a variety of other publications. She holds a bachelor's degree in American studies from Yale University, as well as a certificate in indigenous peoples rights and policy from Columbia University. Bogado is based in Reveal’s Emeryville, California, office.
Articles
Immigration
Separated and kept in an office: How a 7-year-old remembers zero tolerance
Wilson should have been taken to a licensed shelter, with beds and showers. Instead, he was taken to an unfurnished, unlicensed office building.
Kids on the Line
When they took my son
We examine the stories of two families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border and how what happened to them matches up with what the government said was supposed to happen.
Immigration
Federal government files new regulations that will affect how migrant families are treated
Even as it fails to reunify hundreds of families, the federal government says the court oversight mandated in a landmark case is no longer needed.
Immigration
Lost on the border: A decade later, a man finds his father’s remains on Facebook
Eliseo Cárdenas Zetina disappeared after trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in 2008. His five children had held out hope that he was still alive.
Immigration
Exclusive: Immigrant kids held in second Phoenix office seen bathing in sinks
Reveal found a second Phoenix office building where MVM Inc. detained immigrant children. An insurance executive says they washed in bathroom sinks.
Immigration
Defense contractor ends its lease of Phoenix building where it held immigrant children
Phoenix city councilwoman announced lease termination after government inspectors were unable to enter the building.
Immigration
Government contractor acknowledges migrant children were held overnight in vacant office building
The defense contractor had previously said children were only there for short periods, while awaiting flights.
Immigration
After Reveal investigation, officials call for closure of Phoenix child detention facility
Neighbors first saw immigrant children being ushered into the vacant Phoenix office building on June 4.
Immigration
Families splintered apart, by government and by storms
We continue our ongoing investigation into what happens to immigrant children after they’re detained by the U.S. government.