Jonathan Blitzer
Jonathan Blitzer is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He won a 2017 National Award for Education Reporting for “American Studies,” a story about an underground school for undocumented immigrants. He has been a finalist three times for a Livingston Award, and is the recipient of an Edward R. Murrow Award as well as the 2018 Immigration Journalism Prize from the French-American Foundation. His writing and reporting have also appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Atavist, Oxford American, and The Nation. He is an Emerson Fellow at New America.
Joe Biden’s Texas Showdown
In some ways, Greg Abbott, as the governor of a border state, poses a more acute political problem for the President than Donald Trump does.
The Trials of Alejandro Mayorkas
The Secretary of Homeland Security has been forced to respond to an unprecedented flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Why are Republicans in Congress impeaching him for it?
“Do I Have to Come Here Injured or Dead?”
Keldy Mabel Gonzáles Brebe de Zúniga was one of the first mothers separated from her children at the border by the Trump Administration. The cruelty she suffered in the United States was matched only by what she was forced to flee in Honduras.
The Senate Battle Over Immigration and Aid to Ukraine
Republicans are making one dependent on the other. Are vulnerable Democrats willing to make concessions?
How Mike Johnson Went from Relative Obscurity to Speaker of the House
The Louisiana Republican is best known for leading an effort to vote against certifying the results of the 2020 election—not because of fraud but on arcane legal grounds.
Jim Jordan’s Conspiratorial Quest for Power
How the Ohio Republican built an insurgent bid for Speaker on the lies of Donald Trump.
How Kevin McCarthy Defied the Freedom Caucus and Averted a Shutdown
The irony of the Speaker’s surprise last-minute move was that it was his only play all along.
“La Isla” Shows the Absences Left by El Salvador’s Mass Arrests
On a quiet fishing island, families whose fathers and sons were swept up in anti-gang arrests have become the collateral damage of a crackdown.
Is Guatemala About to See an Upset Win for Democracy?
The government’s attempts to influence the election have brought an unexpected opportunity for a candidate with a particular connection to the country’s history.
The Sound and Fury of the House Freedom Caucus
To raise the debt ceiling, Kevin McCarthy had to defy the Republican Party’s most conservative members. Will he pay a price?
Title 42 Is Gone, but What Are Asylum Seekers Supposed to Do Now?
It’s hard to imagine an area of federal policymaking more vexed than immigration, generally, and asylum, specifically.
The Risky Gamble of Kevin McCarthy’s Debt-Ceiling Strategy
In the face of a catastrophic default, the House Speaker has pitted his most extreme members against the President.
Jim Jordan’s Singular Pursuit of Justice
Republicans in Congress are united on at least one thing: the defense of Donald Trump.
What Kevin McCarthy Will Do to Gain Power
The Republican leader’s ambition has always been his defining characteristic. Attempting to placate both Trumpists and moderates may lead to his downfall.
Chuck Schumer’s Final Call
The Senate Majority Leader navigated one of the most sweeping legislative sessions in memory—why haven’t voters seemed to notice?
The Rise of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s Authoritarian President
The budding strongman has ridden Bitcoin schemes and a repressive crackdown on gangs to become Latin America’s most popular leader.
The Kyrsten Sinema Watch Party
With Democrats poised to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, their signature legislation on health care and climate change, all eyes were on the senior senator from Arizona.
The Supreme Court’s Surprise Ruling on Biden’s Immigration Policy
In a 5–4 decision, the Court allowed the White House to end Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program—for now.
The Exile of Guatemala’s Anti-Corruption Efforts
A group of prosecutors and judges who investigated the country’s most powerful officials has been forced to flee to Washington, D.C.
How Caetano Veloso Revolutionized Brazil’s Sound and Spirit
The musician’s political persecution pushed him into a career he was never sure he wanted.
Joe Biden’s Texas Showdown
In some ways, Greg Abbott, as the governor of a border state, poses a more acute political problem for the President than Donald Trump does.
The Trials of Alejandro Mayorkas
The Secretary of Homeland Security has been forced to respond to an unprecedented flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Why are Republicans in Congress impeaching him for it?
“Do I Have to Come Here Injured or Dead?”
Keldy Mabel Gonzáles Brebe de Zúniga was one of the first mothers separated from her children at the border by the Trump Administration. The cruelty she suffered in the United States was matched only by what she was forced to flee in Honduras.
The Senate Battle Over Immigration and Aid to Ukraine
Republicans are making one dependent on the other. Are vulnerable Democrats willing to make concessions?
How Mike Johnson Went from Relative Obscurity to Speaker of the House
The Louisiana Republican is best known for leading an effort to vote against certifying the results of the 2020 election—not because of fraud but on arcane legal grounds.
Jim Jordan’s Conspiratorial Quest for Power
How the Ohio Republican built an insurgent bid for Speaker on the lies of Donald Trump.
How Kevin McCarthy Defied the Freedom Caucus and Averted a Shutdown
The irony of the Speaker’s surprise last-minute move was that it was his only play all along.
“La Isla” Shows the Absences Left by El Salvador’s Mass Arrests
On a quiet fishing island, families whose fathers and sons were swept up in anti-gang arrests have become the collateral damage of a crackdown.
Is Guatemala About to See an Upset Win for Democracy?
The government’s attempts to influence the election have brought an unexpected opportunity for a candidate with a particular connection to the country’s history.
The Sound and Fury of the House Freedom Caucus
To raise the debt ceiling, Kevin McCarthy had to defy the Republican Party’s most conservative members. Will he pay a price?
Title 42 Is Gone, but What Are Asylum Seekers Supposed to Do Now?
It’s hard to imagine an area of federal policymaking more vexed than immigration, generally, and asylum, specifically.
The Risky Gamble of Kevin McCarthy’s Debt-Ceiling Strategy
In the face of a catastrophic default, the House Speaker has pitted his most extreme members against the President.
Jim Jordan’s Singular Pursuit of Justice
Republicans in Congress are united on at least one thing: the defense of Donald Trump.
What Kevin McCarthy Will Do to Gain Power
The Republican leader’s ambition has always been his defining characteristic. Attempting to placate both Trumpists and moderates may lead to his downfall.
Chuck Schumer’s Final Call
The Senate Majority Leader navigated one of the most sweeping legislative sessions in memory—why haven’t voters seemed to notice?
The Rise of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s Authoritarian President
The budding strongman has ridden Bitcoin schemes and a repressive crackdown on gangs to become Latin America’s most popular leader.
The Kyrsten Sinema Watch Party
With Democrats poised to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, their signature legislation on health care and climate change, all eyes were on the senior senator from Arizona.
The Supreme Court’s Surprise Ruling on Biden’s Immigration Policy
In a 5–4 decision, the Court allowed the White House to end Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program—for now.
The Exile of Guatemala’s Anti-Corruption Efforts
A group of prosecutors and judges who investigated the country’s most powerful officials has been forced to flee to Washington, D.C.
How Caetano Veloso Revolutionized Brazil’s Sound and Spirit
The musician’s political persecution pushed him into a career he was never sure he wanted.