Migrants who once hoped to seek protection in the United States have found themselves chasing the elusive goal of asylum in a hardening climate against them. Some have been detained for years; others are just starting on their journey in unexpected countries. Still others are too young to understand what lies ahead of them. The KJZZ Fronteras Desk series Chasing Asylum follows some of these people on their journey.
Part 1: Nov. 5, 2025
Alisa Reznick/KJZZ
Federal court data shows more than 2.3 million asylum applications are pending in the U.S. this year. But for Kamel Maklad, even winning protection didn't mean freedom.
Part 2: Nov. 6, 2025
Nina Kravinsky
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KJZZ
Trump administration foreign aid cuts are pinching Mexico’s already overburdened asylum process. That means long wait times for refugees who, barred from entering the United States, are turning to Mexico for safety.
Part 3: Nov. 7, 2025
Alisa Reznick
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KJZZ
The Trump administration cut most of the federal funding for a program providing free legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children who are seeking asylum in the U.S. The money was restored under court order, but attorneys say the lapse sent organizations into a tailspin that’s still playing out today.
Photos from the U.S.-Mexico border
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Nina Kravinsky / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Nina Kravinsky / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Nina Kravinsky / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Alisa Reznick / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Nina Kravinsky / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Alisa Reznick / KJZZ
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The U.S.-Mexico border.
Nina Kravinsky / KJZZ
More stories from the Fronteras Desk
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The group says that’s in response to comments from Trump administration officials like Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — who told reporters earlier this month that ICE isn’t planning operations targeting polling locations, but that agents could be sent to address a "specific threats." -
Temporary Protected Status provides protection from deportation and a work permit. It’s available to nationals from countries deemed unsafe because of things like conflict or natural disaster. The status expired this week for some 170,000 Salvadorans. -
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights called for Mexico and the mining company Grupo México’s to make good on promises to the community more than a decade after the historic spill. -
One way groundwater is contaminated with PFAS is through a firefighting foam containing the chemicals that’s commonly used at airports and military installments — like the ones in Tucson’s southside. -
The program was established by Congress almost two decades ago alongside federal anti-trafficking laws. -
Live cattle imports from Mexico were again halted after a more than year-long pause to protect against the New World screwworm. Now, the border is back open in Douglas. -
National Park Service officials expect to restore a reliable water supply in the Grand Canyon in weeks — not months — as the deadly flash flood didn’t damage most of a near-complete pipeline project, they said Tuesday. -
In the Sonoran Sky Islands region, one organization is working to bring back native species. But it’s running up against a lengthening border wall. -
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico restricted the movement of U.S. government activities in Nogales, Sonora due to “threat information.” -
The park remains open despite some trail and campground closures, but park staff are issuing conservation efforts after Transcanyon water pipeline was damaged.
