Matt Katz

WNYC

Matt Katz

Matt Katz reports on air at WNYC about immigration, refugees and national security. He covered New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for more than five years, first for The Philadelphia Inquirer and then for WNYC and New Jersey Public Radio. He followed the governor through scandal and presidential candidacy and appeared weekly on WNYC Studios' Christie Tracker Podcast.

In 2015 Matt and a team from WNYC won a Peabody Award for their coverage of Christie and the Bridgegate scandal. The series -- Chris Christie, White House Ambitions and the Abuse of Power -- was WNYC's first Peabody for news coverage since 1944. In 2016, Matt's biography of Christie -- American Governor: Chris Christie's Bridge to Redemption -- was published by Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions. Matt's experience covering Christie also shaped his 2016 TedX talk, Political Deceit in a Social Media Age.

Matt has written about politics for The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic and POLITICO. Before covering the Statehouse in Trenton he spent time in Afghanistan, writing a series on reconstruction efforts for The Philadelphia Inquirer that won the Livingston Award for International Reporting for journalists under the age of 35. In 2009 his four-part investigation about Camden set the stage for an end to the state's takeover of city government. Prior to that, he was an award-winning reporter and syndicated dating columnist at The Courier-Post in New Jersey. He started his career covering local school board, zoning and council meetings for The Daily Record in New Jersey.

Matt has two young children, Sadie and Reuben, who listen to a lot of WNYC. Find him on Twitter @mattkatz00.

Matt Katz appears in the following:

Should New Jersey Democratic Officials Keep Jailing Immigrants for ICE?

Thursday, August 16, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Hudson County officials say yes. That is, if residents want to keep taxes down and avoid public worker layoffs.

Comments [2]

Leaving New York to Find the American Dream in Philadelphia

Friday, July 20, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

New York's affordability crisis means boom times for immigrant Philadelphia.

Comments [4]

In Surprise Vote, Hudson County Renews Contract With ICE to Detain Immigrants

Thursday, July 12, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

The county will collect about $35 million as part of President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies.

Comments [1]

Under Trump, Democratic New Jersey Counties Cash in on Detaining Immigrants

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

The amount of ICE money sent to Bergen, Essex and Hudson Counties increased 46 percent since 2015, and now totals more than $150 million.

Comments [4]

In a Twist, Conservatives Help Immigrants Change New Jersey Law

Monday, July 02, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Immigrants, some undocumented, get a surprising boost from a Koch brothers group over hair braiding regulation.

Comments [2]

Opportunity for Refugees, Nourishment for New Yorkers

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Shawarma spiced lamb shank. Jackfruit salad. Black-eyed bean hummus — just a few of the dishes refugees are crafting as new avenues open to work in the food industry here.

Comment

Hundreds of Immigrant Kids Separated from Parents Are Sent to New York

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Traumatized kids of all ages are now living in New York. Their parents may not know where they are.

Comments [5]

Cloyd Edralin, second from right, pictured here with his wife and four children, was detained as part of an ICE operation in New Jersey that netted green card holders.

ICE Operation 'Targeting Criminal Aliens' in NJ Netted Permanent Residents

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was going after criminal aliens, but it also caught several green card holders.

Comments [5]

Mariano Munoz, carries a sign past NYPD community affairs officers during rally asking for resignation of NYPD Commissioner R. Kelly & NYPD spokesperson P. Browne, demanding community control of NYPD.

Report Says NYPD Muslim Surveillance Has Decreased

Monday, June 11, 2018

By Larry Neumeister : Associated Press / Matt Katz : WNYC

The legal action taken against the NYPD's controversial post-9/11 surveilance of Muslims has led to a change into how the department conducts investigations.

Comment

Cloyd Edralin, left, shown in this family photo with his wife and four children, is now in immigration detention.

ICE Seeks to Deport NJ Green Card Holder

Friday, June 08, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Eleven years after being sentenced to probation for gun possession, Cloyd Edralin was re-approved for his green card. Now, under the Trump Administration, he's deportable.

Comments [8]

Undocumented Pizza Delivery Man's Arrest Spurs Calls for Immigrant Driver's Licenses

Thursday, June 07, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Should immigrants living here without documentation be provided have driver's licenses?

Comment

Immigrant Delivery Driver Who Brought Pizza to Brooklyn Military Base Faces Deportation

Wednesday, June 06, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

The incident has local politicians questioning if soldiers are aiding federal immigration agents.

Comments [4]

Could Rocky Relationship Between New Jersey's Top Two Democrats Lead to Government Shutdown?

Monday, June 04, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

Intra-party squabbling between NJ Gov. Phil Murphy and State Senate President Steve Sweeney have some state offices preparing to shut down the government for the second year in a row.

Comments [1]

Laid-off Toys 'R' Us Employees Protest for Severance

Sunday, June 03, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

The private equity firms got bonuses, but Toys R Us workers won't get anything.

Comment

Caught in Trump's Immigration Crackdown, N.J. Family Marks Mothers' Day Without Mom

Sunday, May 13, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

She was on her way to America to be with her family. Then the Trump Administration cancelled the immigration program she had already been approved for.

Comments [1]

'Chica Cards' and Child Prostitution: Feds Break Up Mexico-to-Queens Sex Trafficking Ring

Friday, May 04, 2018

By Matt Katz : WNYC

The special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York City, Angel Melendez, spoke exclusively to WNYC's Sean Carlson about sex trafficking in Queens.

Comments [2]