Author: Valeria Fernández

Bio: Valeria Fernández is an independent journalist from Uruguay with more than a 14 years experience as a bilingual documentary producer and reporter on Arizona’s immigrant community and the US-Mexico borderlands. She co-directed and produced "Two Americans,” a documentary that parallels the stories of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and a 9-year-old U.S. citizen whose parents were arrested by the sheriff’s deputies that aired in Al Jazeera America. Her work as reporter for the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting on the economic and social impacts of a mine spill in Northern Mexico broadcast in PBS, San Diego and won an Arizona Press Club recognition for environmental reporting in 2016. She freelances for a number of print, digital and broadcast media outlets, including Feet in 2 Worlds, CNN Español, Radio Bilingue, PRI's Global Nation, Al Jazeera, and Discovery Spanish.

Contributions:

For Battered Latina Immigrants: Dwindling Resources, But Also Hope

Posted on: 12 Nov 2009

De Colores, a domestic violence shelter in Phoenix, specializes in helping undocumented Spanish-speaking migrant women like her.

After Arpaio is Stripped of Immigration Powers, Conservatives Counter With A New Anti-Immigrant Bill

Posted on: 28 Oct 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona — After the recent decision by federal authorities to limit the power of Maricopa County sheriff ‘s deputies to enforce U.S. immigration laws, Arizona lawmakers are renewing a push to grant local police the ability to detain and question suspected undocumented immigrants. A campaign in favor of the “Support Our Law Enforcement and […]

Reporter's Notebook: Behind the Headlines About Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Immigration Sweeps

Posted on: 21 Oct 2009

This week the public radio program Making Contact features a story by Feet in Two Worlds reporter Valeria Fernández about the impact of an immigration raid on a family in Phoenix, Arizona. Valeria wrote the following reporter’s notebook about her experiences covering this story. You can listen to the story pressing “play” below or to […]

Raid Expected in Phoenix Raises Questions About Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws

Posted on: 16 Oct 2009

ALSO: Hear Valeria’s interview Friday morning on public radio’s The Takeaway. PHOENIX, Arizona — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio claims he doesn’t need permission from the federal government to enforce U.S. immigration laws. And today he plans an immigration raid to prove it. The raid, expected later today in an undisclosed location, raises questions about […]

Some Immigrants Going Back to Their Home Countries To Get Affordable Health Care

Posted on: 12 Oct 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona — A month ago, Patricia Presa learned that she has uterine cancer. She’s decided to go back to her native Mexico to seek treatment there, because she is an undocumented immigrant and can’t afford to pay for health care in the U.S. “Unfortunately, I need the treatment but I don’t have the money […]

Arizona Sheriff Defiant as Debate Over Local Immigration Enforcement Program Intensifies

Posted on: 07 Oct 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona — A proposed agreement, scheduled to be voted on today by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, may offer a glimpse of the federal government’s plans to modify a widely criticized program that authorizes local police to enforce U.S. immigration laws. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has the largest force in the nation […]

Reporter’s Notebook: Finding Common Ground on Immigration in Arizona’s Dairy Farms

Posted on: 18 Sep 2009

Phoenix-based FI2W reporter Valeria Fernández produced a radio piece for NPR’s Latino USA on immigrants who work in the dairy industry and the farmers who hire them. Here, Valeria narrates how she produced the piece, which airs this weekend on Latino USA. To listen to the piece, press “play” below. [audio:http://latinousa.kut.org/wp-content/lusaaudio/859segAZdairies.mp3]   By Valeria Fernández, […]

“My Life in an Arizona Dairy”: Journal of a Migrant Worker’s Daughter

Posted on: 18 Sep 2009

This diary was written by the 12-year-old daughter of a Mexican immigrant dairy worker. Her name has been changed to protect her identity. Click here to go to the main story to read more about her family and to listen to a radio piece about immigrants and dairy farmers by FI2W‘s Valeria Fernández for NPR’s […]

Religious Leaders Face Deportation: Detention Reignites Churches' Call for Immigration Reform

Posted on: 14 Sep 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona — A group of eight religious leaders of the Disciples of Christ denomination in Phoenix are facing deportation after being detained by a tribal police department when they were on their way to a spiritual retreat. The incident that occurred on Sept. 4 has shaken up the Evangelical church community in Phoenix, which […]

Drama About Immigration Raids and their Human Consequences in Arizona Is No Fiction for Many

Posted on: 31 Aug 2009

PHOENIX, Arizona — When the school counselor gave her the news, it broke Olivia’s heart. Her father had been detained by deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. In the worst case scenario, he might have already been deported. Olivia is a fictional character in The Tears of Lives, a play produced by Phoenix’s New […]