Immigration remains one of the most complex and urgent issues in the United States—especially since President Donald Trump took office.
When Joshua Goodman received word from multiple sources that arrests were imminent at the Miami immigration courthouse, he quickly alerted photographer Rebecca Blackwell. Together, they witnessed people having their immigration cases dismissed—only to be immediately arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Goodman flagged the development to editors, who quickly activated AP staff across the country. Reporters in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, Seattle, Chicago and Texas observed detentions firsthand or interviewed attorneys whose clients were taken into custody at courthouse doors.
Contributors included Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix, and Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California. Photographer Ross D. Franklin and videojournalists David Martin and Cody Jackson also contributed vital visuals.
The result was fast, coordinated, and thoughtful reporting that showed how judges across the country were giving people the same warnings—while ICE ramped up arrests in a pattern that appeared both widespread and highly coordinated.
Gisela Salomon pulled together the national effort into a compelling narrative, edited by Top Stories editor Mary Sedor. The story highlighted not just the actions, but their human toll, and suggested a broader enforcement strategy that was quietly unfolding.
AP was among the first to report the highly unusual, unannounced arrests—and did so with compelling eyewitness accounts and broad national context.
Judges praised the effort for smart coordination that leaned into AP’s 50-state footprint and cross-format strength.
For highlighting a major nationwide immigration development through rapid, collaborative reporting, Rebecca Blackwell, Joshua Goodman and Gisela Salomon win this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
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