McKenzie Funk
I cover immigration, privacy and climate change from my native Pacific Northwest.
Need to Get in Touch?
I'm eager to hear from anyone connected to the business of immigration enforcement: technologists, data brokers, activists, airplane pilots, private-prison officials and insiders at ICE, CBP and DHS writ large.
What I Cover
This year I’m reporting on the machinery of deportation: the contractors, technologies and data streams that are powering the Trump administration’s top policy priority.
My Background
I joined ProPublica in August 2023 after two decades writing for magazines, including Harper’s, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, Bloomberg Businessweek and The New York Times Magazine. My first book, the PEN Literary Award-winning “Windfall” (2014), was about climate change. My second, “The Hank Show” (2023), was about data and privacy. I’m drawn to stories that illustrate how people are affected by complex systems and how they react to them in unexpected ways. I don’t believe in heroes or villains.
My interests include immigration, the Arctic, property insurance, hedge funds, algorithmic decision-making and state vs. federal power. I welcome tips in English, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian and French.
Having done much of my early reporting in China, Russia and other countries, I am practiced at using discretion with my communications and sources. If you reach out, I’ll listen to you carefully and make sure I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ll treat the information, and your identity, with care.
Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”
Current and former flight attendants for GlobalX, the private charter airline at the center of Trump’s immigration crackdown, expressed concern about their inability to treat passengers humanely and to keep them safe.
En el interior de los vuelos de deportación de ICE Air: “¿Se podría evacuar a tiempo a más de cien pasajeros encadenados?”
Siete tripulantes de vuelo que han trabajado para la aerolínea GlobalX muestran a ProPublica una parte desconocida del proceso de deportación
An ICE Contractor Is Worth Billions. It’s Still Fighting to Pay Detainees as Little as $1 a Day to Work.
GEO Group, whose stock is valued at $4 billion, says that state minimum wage laws don’t apply to the cleaning services that it’s asked detained migrants to perform at facilities where they’re kept.
This Icebreaker Has Design Problems and a History of Failure. It’s America’s Latest Military Vessel.
The builder of the icebreaker Aiviq has given more than $7 million to political campaigns, parties and committees since 2012. Under pressure from Congress, the Coast Guard purchased the vessel late last year.
Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.
Oregon’s Largest Natural Gas Company Said It Was Going Green. It Sells as Much Fossil Fuel as Before.
NW Natural told Oregonians it had a new source of clean energy: renewable natural gas. Industry documents obtained by ProPublica reveal how the company has, for years, perpetuated its core fossil fuel business while painting a picture of going green.
What a Leading State Auditor Says About Fraud, Government Misspending and Building Public Trust
We spoke to a leading state auditor about how remote work and artificial intelligence are ushering in new kinds of fraud in state and local governments.
A Seattle Airfield Offers a Rare View of ICE Deportation Flights
Key details about what happens inside ICE Air would still be hidden if not for a group of Washington activists and researchers, who are now using a live video feed from the tarmac to document the flights.
Help ProPublica Reporters Investigate the Immigration System
We need your help to find productive ways to examine the country’s immigration system — what’s working and what isn’t. We especially want to hear from federal workers, attorneys, employers, labor advocates and ESL teachers.