Arelis R. Hernández

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering the U.S. Southern border, Immigration, Texas and beyond

Education: University of Maryland, BA in broadcast journalism, minor in U.S. Latinx studies

Arelis Hernández has covered hurricanes, mass shootings and most recently, has been in and out of Puerto Rico chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. She was part of the team that created the digital project “Sin Luz: Life without power,” which garnered an national Emmy nomination and international recognition. She joined the Washington Post staff in 2014 to cover Prince George's County, a suburb of Washington D.C., where she grew up. Hernández has also spent time in Venezuela for the foreign desk and at one point lived in Puerto Rico to probe the politics, culture and social movements
Latest from Arelis R. Hernández

How Texas is challenging the Biden administration on border policy

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has launched multiple high-profile challenges to the Biden administration’s border policies. A look at the legal battles that have followed.

March 12, 2024

A border Democrat wants to seize back the debate on immigration

Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar is convening lawmakers to form a working group he hopes will change the Democratic message on border and immigration.

March 8, 2024

Supreme Court keeps Texas migrant law on hold until at least March 13

The Supreme Court action is the latest chapter in the Biden administration’s battle with Texas over whether states can play a role in immigration enforcement.

March 4, 2024

Biden and Trump visits to Texas offer a tale of two border cities

The Texas border cities President Biden and Republican contender Donald Trump traveled to Thursday to stake their positions on immigration are a study of contrasts.

February 29, 2024

Judge blocks Tex. law authorizing arrests of suspected illegal immigrants

The blocked bill grants police across Texas the right to arrest immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally. It was derided by advocates as permitting racial profiling.

February 29, 2024

    Mapping the Texas governor’s effort to control the border at Eagle Pass

    Since 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been using state resources and national guard to patrol the border, with many of his efforts focused on Eagle Pass.

    February 28, 2024

    Police kill female shooter at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church; 5-year-old injured

    A woman wielding a long gun and accompanied by a small child was gunned down after she opened fire inside Lakewood Church, run by the pastor Joel Osteen.

    February 12, 2024

    The Texas border city caught in a constitutional crisis

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is in a standoff with the U.S. government over who controls the Texas border with Mexico. That fight has centered on the border city of Eagle Pass, where Abbott has seized a park and is testing the limits of the Constitution.

    February 2, 2024

    Texas border showdown is far-right magnet, hate trackers warn

    As a convoy gathers in Eagle Pass, extremism monitors see vestiges of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s defiance of federal orders.

    February 2, 2024

    Who has authority on the border? Biden or Congress? We took your questions.

    Our reporters answered your questions about immigration during a live chat on Thursday.

    February 1, 2024