BORDERLANDS
The border between the U.S. and Mexico is the most complicated issue I’ve covered as a photojournalist. It’s a place I have witnessed sadness, hope, charity, cruelty, bravery and all emotions in between.
It’s the most divisive issue I’ve ever covered. One that everyone has an opinion on, largely based on bits and pieces heard on cable news. To many it’s a black and white issue. My experience covering the border is that the truth is somewhere in the many shades of grey. The reality is far more complicated than can fit into one story or TV spot.
This is a collection of my work covering the border, illegal immigration and the controversial SB10-70 law in Arizona. Over my career as a photojournalist I’ve had the chance to meet both migrants, Border Patrol agents and the people who live with the border every day. I’ve witnessed people risk everything to cross. I’ve witness people risk their lives to save others. I’ve seen people fall victim to the unforgiving desert.
Crossing the border illegally is a dangerous endeavor. Some routes take migrants on a five day walk into the Sonoran desert where water and help is scarce. There are no sure things. At the height of my coverage over 200 people a year were dying in Arizona each year trying to cross the border illegally.
In addition to still photography I’ve worked on video and multimedia projects about immigration and the border. In 2018 our project The Wall won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism.