Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Race, Identity, and Immigration Reporter
About
Gustavo covers race, identity, and immigration in the Pacific Northwest. His reporting is focused on tribal sovereignty, how a diversity of communities leverage their power to effect change in and beyond their neighborhoods, and the impacts of immigration policy at the state level.
He arrived to KUOW in 2023, and previously wrote about northern Nevada's tribal efforts during mid-term elections, addressing the legacy of state-funded boarding schools and the impacts of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples' epidemic. He's also written about healthcare access for undocumented Idaho farmworkers during the pandemic and Juneteenth celebrations in Idaho.
Gustavo was born and raised in the sagebrush of Boise, Idaho. He spent many years trying to get into a career in journalism, juggling work, school, and community radio before settling into the restaurant industry for eight years. He was able to work in award-winning kitchens before the pandemic threw him back into journalism. In his off time he takes documentary photography, participates in the Purépecha community, and dreams of pit barbecuing and carnitas.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, Spanish
Pronouns: he/him
Professional Affiliations: Founding Board Member, Voces
Stories
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'Overturning historical trauma.' Tulalip Tribes celebrates new laws supporting Native education in Washington schools
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Prisoner-led cultural groups in Washington say they’ve been sidelined under state's prison diversity initiative
The Washington State Department of Corrections has recently attempted to standardize how prisoner-led cultural groups operate. Advocates say this has eclipsed prisoners’ ability to organize cultural awareness courses and events, undermining what little self-determination they can exercise on the inside.
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Wednesday Evening Headlines
Fertility fraud bill heads to Inslee's desk, public defenders want smaller caseloads, and Seattle University gets a $300 million gift of art. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Gustavo Sagrero.
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$32.7M slated for asylum-seekers flowing into Washington state
As legislators in Olympia move closer to finalizing the state’s next budget, they’ve designated $32.7 million for services to help an influx of asylum-seekers in Washington.
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Facing another hotel eviction, Seattle area asylum-seekers lean on religious groups to foot the bill
Approximately 100 local asylum-seekers, mostly from Venezuela, met with the King County Council Tuesday to ask for help as their latest hotel shelter arrangement came to an end.
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Time, money runs low for asylum-seekers sheltering at Seattle area hotels
Hundreds of asylum-seekers took refuge at Seattle area hotels during January’s cold snap. What was intended to be a weeklong stay has evolved into a monthlong stay.
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Venezuelan migrants at Kent hotel have three more weeks of emergency shelter
Asylum seekers, mostly Venezuelan immigrants at Kent Quality Inn, will have three more weeks of emergency housing. The roughly 200 people will be split up between two different hotels in Kent, and will no longer stay at the Kent Quality Inn.
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Video shows heavily armed guards detaining hunger strikers at Tacoma ICE center after using tear gas
Detainees at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma were subjected to tear gas, had guns pointed at them, and were physically restrained during a hunger strike last year for better living conditions.
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A migrant camp in Tukwila shows how bad Seattle's housing problem is
Earlier this week, dozens of people seeking asylum in the US showed up at the Seattle City Council to ask for help. More than 200 migrants — most of them families — were facing a night sleeping on the street after their emergency shelter fell through. KUOW's race and identity reporter Gustavo Sagrero explains how the migrants ended up in this situation and what local organizations are doing to help.
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Seattle steps in to foot bill for migrants living in hotel
A group of about 200 migrants seeking asylum will be allowed to remain at a hotel — at least for now.
