Sarah Aida Gonzalez is the youth and families reporter at WNYC. She has dug deep into data and documents to reveal systemic inequalities in New Jersey’s foster care system, and into how the state prosecutes minors and disciplines federal immigration detainees.
Her investigative and feature reporting has received national awards by the Education Writer’s Association, SPJ Sigma Delta Chi and PRNDI, and several regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Her investigation into Florida charter schools turning away students with severe disabilities received an Online News Association award for Innovative Investigative Journalism.
Sarah graduated from Mills College in Oakland, CA in 2009. She grew up on the San Diego/Tijuana, Mexico border.
Sarah Gonzalez appears in the following:
How MS-13 Is Affecting Immigrant Communities
Thursday, August 17, 2017
In a 3-part series with NPR, Sarah Gonzalez explores how MS-13 members on Long Island target unaccompanied minors.
Undocumented Teens Say They're Falsely Accused Of Being In A Gang
Thursday, August 17, 2017
The clothes and colors students wear to school, the classmates they speak to and what they're suspended for is being used as evidence in immigration court that students are affiliated with MS-13.
Despite Escaping To The U.S., These Brothers Are Still Terrorized By The MS-13 Gang
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
After two Long Island brothers were chased by gang members with machetes, police gave their family a 'panic button.' Then, the family found out the oldest son is on a list of suspected MS-13 members.
Trump Administration Accused Of Falsely Saying Immigrant Teens Have Gang Ties
Friday, August 11, 2017
The ACLU's class-action lawsuit alleges that the government is illegally detaining teens from Suffolk County, N.Y., based on unsubstantiated claims that they are members of transnational street gangs.
ICE Is Arresting Teens Based on Bogus Claims, Says ACLU Lawsuit
Friday, August 11, 2017
The lawsuit claims the Trump administration is falsely accusing immigrant teens of gang affiliations in a concerted effort to deport them.
MS-13 Gang Crackdown Relies on 'Questionable' Evidence From Schools
Monday, August 07, 2017
WNYC has documents showing how police build cases against suspected gang members based on information they could only find inside the schools — and some of it is supposed to be private.
Advocates Warn of a School-to-Deportation Pipeline
Tuesday, August 01, 2017
Advocates says immigrant students are being suspended from school for alleged MS-13 gang affiliation based on "flimsy evidence." But it's strong enough to land them in immigration court.
New Yorkers Push Back on Trump's Use of Force Remarks
Sunday, July 30, 2017
“It sounds like he's giving a blank check to police for brutality,” said Lourdes Diaz Dennis from Queens.
Graduating Seniors Offer Advice to Their High Schools
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
When these recent graduates wrote letters to their high schools, they did not hold back.
What Will (Likely) Happen If the Mayor Doesn't Get School Control Back
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on mayoral control of New York City schools. What happens next is unclear — but a similar scenario from 2009 provides a glimpse.
Meet a Student Earning a 'Local Diploma' in New York – And What it Means
Thursday, June 22, 2017
There are three different categories of high school diplomas for students in New York State. Today, we profile a student earning a Local Diploma: 19-year-old Darian Glisson.
Meet a Graduate Earning One of the Three High School Diplomas in New York State
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
There are three different categories of high school diplomas in New York State. We talk to Jazmine Williams, a student earning the standard Regents diploma.
This NYC Student Is Earning a Top High School Diploma
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
There are three different high school diplomas for students in New York State. Today, we profile a student earning the Advanced Regents diploma.
More Than 3,200 Apply for Excelsior Scholarship Within 5 Hours
Wednesday, June 07, 2017
The application for New York's new, free college tuition program for middle class students was popular as soon as it went online Wednesday morning.
Meet the Four Women Earning Bachelor's Degrees From a NY Prison
Wednesday, June 07, 2017
Just one women's prison in New York offers a bachelor's degree program. It may offer only one major but these inmates say they're grateful to have what many other prisons lack.
Hundreds Gather in Manhattan to Honor Fallen Service Members
Monday, May 29, 2017
Those gathered at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on the Upper West Side included 89-year-old Alexander Edwards, one of the first black Marines to serve the country.
Biden Calls NJ's Gov Race Most Important Election Before 2020
Sunday, May 28, 2017
"The whole country — and without exaggeration, the world — is going to be looking," former Vice President Joe Biden said of New Jersey's off-year gubernatorial race.
Parents of Jailed Teens Find Comfort at Monthly Meetings
Tuesday, May 02, 2017
It's hard for parents of teenage inmates on Rikers Island to talk to their kids in jail. It's also hard to find other adults to talk to. That's why a Rikers school counselor stepped up.
New York Eases Rules for Formerly Incarcerated to Visit Public Housing
Friday, April 21, 2017
New York City is loosening rules on who can visit public-housing properties, making it easier for those who have been convicted of certain felonies to see family.
Teaching Politics in the Classroom
Monday, April 17, 2017
New York City teachers are struggling to express their own political views with their students.
