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Jessica Lussenhop

Jessica Lussenhop is a reporter covering Minnesota and the Midwest. She lives in Minneapolis.

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Jessica Lussenhop is a reporter for ProPublica’s Midwest team, covering Minnesota. Before coming to ProPublica, Lussenhop was a senior staff writer for BBC North America and a fellow at the radio program “This American Life.” She worked at a string of alternative newsweeklies, including City Pages in Minneapolis and the Riverfront Times in St. Louis. Her previous coverage has won an Asian American Journalists Association Excellence Award and a National Native Media Award. She lives in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Attorney General Opens Investigation Into Controversial Contract-for-Deed Real Estate Practices

Following a ProPublica and Sahan Journal report, authorities are examining fast-tracked real estate deals for possible civil charges.

Senators Call for Further Oversight, Consumer Protections in Contract-for-Deed Real Estate Transactions

Following a ProPublica-Sahan Journal report on fast-tracked home financing deals that left Somali families in Minnesota financially devastated, federal lawmakers met to discuss what could be done to shield buyers.

SCOTUS Upheld ICWA But Questions Remain for Native American Families

A recent ProPublica investigation showed how ICWA was being unevenly applied in some states, breaking up Native American families that should have received additional protections under the law. There’s still room for improvement, advocates say.

Overpolicing Parents

Native American Families Are Being Broken Up in Spite of a Law Meant to Keep Children With Their Parents

After fighting to win back her parental rights, a young Native American mother prevailed. Then the state came for her second child.

Post-Roe America

Minnesota May Chart Its Own Path Dealing With Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers

While other states move to defund “crisis pregnancy centers,” Minnesota may offer to renew their state grants — but with conditions.

Investors Sold Somali Families on a Fast Track to Homeownership. The Buyers Risk Losing Everything.

For Somali Muslim families in Minnesota, a contract for deed seems like an easier path to homeownership. But predatory practices and poor regulation can make it a financial trap rather than a good deal.

Post-Roe America

Minnesota Set to Become “Abortion Access Island” in the Midwest, but for Whom?

Out-of-staters have long traveled to Minnesota for abortions, but as neighboring states restrict access to the procedure, data suggests patients of color may not make the trip.