Best of AP — Honorable Mention

Source work and coordination puts AP out fast on closely watched immigration story

FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., Friday , Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Ken Paxton

Homeland Security reporter Rebecca Santana was on her way to the San Diego airport at 6 a.m. on Friday when she got a tip from a source that Republican-led states were suing to end a Biden immigration parole program. The program was aimed at helping nearly 500,000 immigrants who don’t have legal status and are married to American citizens get a pathway to citizenship. It had just launched on Monday and five days later Texas was filing to end the program. Taxiing to the airport, Santana quickly alerted others on the immigration team and Assistant News Director Paul Weber rallied reporters Valerie Gonzalez and Gisela Salomon to investigate. They reached out to activists and state AGs to verify whether a lawsuit had been filed and eventually the Texas AG posted it on their website. The AP was then able to swiftly file a Newsalert and story and Gonzalez and Salomon gathered reaction from the government and activists who were quick to note that the program was continuing to accept applications despite the lawsuit.

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