COLORLINES - Seth Freed Wessler

Seth Freed Wessler

Investigative Reporter
New York, NY

Seth Freed Wessler is a reporter in New York who currently writes for Colorlines.com. Seth has reported from across the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean on immigration, the safety net, criminal justice, national security and the human fallout of the financial collapse.

Seth led a groundbreaking investigation that revealed the thousands of U.S. citizen children stuck in foster care whose parents have been detained or deported by federal immigration authorities. The investigation, for which Seth won a Hillman Prize and other honors, Along with Seth's series of follow-up stories, led to a direct response from the federal government, as well as the passage of state-level legislation. Seth worked until 2012 as a researcher for the Applied Research Center, where he authored research reports on racial inequality and the financial collapse, segregation in the restaurant industry and the corrosive effects of immigration policies on child welfare systems. Seth often discusses his reporting in national broadcast, and his stories and investigations for Colorlines have been cited by outlets including the Associated Press, the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and NPR. He has produced stories for GOOD Magazine, the Texas Observer, NPR’s LatinoUSA, The Huffington Post, The Root and other outlets. In addition to the Hillman Prize, Seth was a finalist for a Casey Medal and has won several Ippies Awards. He was the recipient of a reporting fellowship from USC Annenberg's Institute for Justice and Journalism.

Check out Seth's media appearances here.

Seth tweets at @sethfw.

Rep. Gutierrez Introduces Republicans On House Floor to ‘America’s Latinos’ [Video]

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 15 2012, 1:04PM

“I would like the Republican Party to meet America’s Latinos,” he said.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Obama Promises Immigration Reform Push in January

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 15 2012, 11:13AM

The drive to pass comprehensive immigration reform went into high gear yesterday when President Obama said he expects a bill wil be introduced by January.

Topics: Immigration, /NOW Blog

Dust Off Those Old Immigration Reform Deals? Not So Fast

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 13 2012, 10:06AM

Democratic and Republican leaders want to return to their 2010 blueprint. But immigration reformers say first, stop the deportations.

Topics: 2012 Election, Immigration, Immigration Reform, Second Term

Is This the End of the Southern Strategy, or Its Entrenchment?

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 12 2012, 9:18AM

Riling up fears of a black and brown nation can’t win the White House anymore. But it certainly has locked in the Republican Party’s power Down South.

Topics: 2012 Election, Politics

Trying to Stay Relevant, Boehner Says GOP Will Back Immigration Reform

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 9 2012, 10:17AM

“This issue has been around far too long,” the House Speaker said this week.

Topics: Election Returns, /NOW Blog, Politics

Advocates Say Arpaio Hasn’t Won Yet, Urge County to Count All Votes

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 8 2012, 5:12PM

Now, advocates and alternative media in Arizona are questioning these results. They say hundreds of thousands of provisional and early votes have yet to be counted.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Redistricting Protects the 2010 Republican Surge in State Legislatures

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 7 2012, 3:32PM

And the ugly, bruising battles they launched around immigration, health reform and reproductive rights are certain to continue.

Topics: 2012 Election, /NOW Blog, Politics

Arpaio Gets Another Four Years to Harass Latinos In An Unchanged Arizona

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 7 2012, 12:55PM

Latinos in Phoenix went to bed last night with the news that they’ll face another four years of harassment from Joe Arpaio and his deputies. The 80-year-old sheriff told supporters at his victory party that he looks forward to another…

Topics: 2012 Election, Election Returns, /NOW Blog

Obama Wins Re-Election, But Mixed Results on Ballot Initiatives

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 7 2012, 11:15AM

Here’s a quick rundown of the results in key ballot measures.

Topics: 2012 Election, /NOW Blog, Politics

Beyond the White House: How Today’s Vote Matters for Racial Justice

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 6 2012, 8:20AM

Core questions about reproductive health, immigrant and workers rights, unions, criminal justice and education are on the table at the state and congressional level.

Topics: 2012 Election, Politics

The Tea Party Will Still Run the States, No Matter Who Wins the Presidency

by Seth Freed Wessler on November 1 2012, 10:26AM

Far right symbolism may have receded, but thanks to redistricting, tea party politics will dominate state legislatures for some time to come.

Topics: 2012 Election, Politics

Report: Government Abandoned Integration of Housing For Decades

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 29 2012, 11:22AM

The Fair Housing Act has been largely ignored for 40 years, according to a new investigation.

Topics: /NOW Blog

Deported Father Granted More Time To Fight For His Kids

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 26 2012, 11:21AM

Felipe Montes has been granted an extension to his humanitarian parole.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Felipe Montes

East Haven Police Reach Agreement With Feds On Racial Discrimination

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 23 2012, 5:18PM

The agreement comes more than three years after the federal government began an investigation of practices of systemic discrimination and brutality against Latinos by East Haven police.

Topics: /NOW Blog

Debate Avoided Immigration Due to Narrow Foreign Policy Focus

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 23 2012, 11:11AM

The foreign and domestic policy debate structure may be about as antiquated as those bayonets Romney got zinged with last night.

Topics: /NOW Blog

Food Stamp Bashing, Race, and the Bi-Partisan Attack on the Safety-Net

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 19 2012, 10:00AM

The GOP is winning the rhetorical war on poverty because Obama’s afraid to talk about race. And the results could be disastrous for millions of families.

Topics: Economy, Food Stamps, Politics

New York City Terrorism Sting Latest In Line of ‘Entrapment’ Cases

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 18 2012, 1:06AM

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged a 21-year-old Bangladeshi man named Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis for attempting on Wednesday to to blow up the Federal Reserve building with what he believed was a 1,000 pound bomb. But, the NY Times…

Topics: /NOW Blog

The Scary, Familiar Way Romney Would Shrink the Food Stamp Rolls

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 17 2012, 9:36AM

Mitt Romney again used the 47 million Americans on food stamps a line of attack in last night’s debate. But his plan for fixing that is to simply let those families starve.

Topics: 2012 Election, Economy, /NOW Blog

Deported Dad Granted Visits With His Children, But Not His Parental Rights

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 15 2012, 10:21AM

Felipe Montes is still fighting to save his family.

Topics: Immigration, Felipe Montes

Near Silence on Poverty in the Presidential Debate

by Seth Freed Wessler on October 4 2012, 12:32PM

One of the country’s biggest issues went largely ignored in last night’s presidential debate.

Topics: /NOW Blog

Seth Freed Wessler

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