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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Immigration agencies accessed WA law enforcement license plate data, report finds
A new report from the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights found that federal immigration enforcement has been mining license plate data from local law enforcement in Washington state.
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Monday Evening Headlines
9th Circuit rules that Trump can send troops into Portland, rural hospitals will be hit hard by Medicaid cuts, the Mariners are one win away from a World Series appearance.
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Judge rules ICE unlawfully detained a Seattle man. He's not alone
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement looks to deport a million people nationwide, attorneys say unlawful arrests are on the rise.
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Is Seattle next? Mayor Harrell signs orders to protect city amid Trump's National Guard escalations
Mayor Bruce Harrell on Wednesday signed two executive orders aimed at protecting Seattle and its residents from federal law enforcement actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration.
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As 10-year contract to run Tacoma ICE center ends, lawmakers demand transparency for the next
The contract to run the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma is up for renewal this week. As the current contract between ICE and the private prison company GEO Group expires, lawmakers are pushing for transparency after years of human rights concerns at the facility.
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ICE launches ad campaign to recruit Seattle-area police
TV ads now airing in Seattle are trying to recruit local police to work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Washington farmworker who led union efforts talks life after ICE detention, returning to Mexico
Alfredo Juarez Zeferino, who came to the U.S. when he was 8, has been back in Guerrero for more than a month now after deciding to end his deportation fight.
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Advocates pack Seattle courtroom to support immigrant threatened with deportation to Laos
Close to 200 people packed a federal courtroom and an overflow room in Seattle Friday morning to show support for a West Seattle man who was detained by ICE in July after decades of checking in with federal officials without any incident.
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WA veteran to remain detained in Tacoma immigrant lockup following bond hearing
A Pakistani native and U.S. military veteran will not be able to bond out of the Northwest ICE Processing Center, according to his family.
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2 firefighters arrested by Border Patrol at Washington’s Bear Gulch Fire
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two firefighters working on the Bear Gulch Fire on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula on Wednesday, accusing them of being in the U.S. illegally.