Melissa Sanchez

Reporter

Photo of Melissa Sanchez

Melissa Sanchez is a reporter at ProPublica who focuses on immigrants and labor in the Midwest. After joining ProPublica in 2017, she led a project that examined Chicago’s punitive ticketing and debt collection system; that reporting helped prompt major reforms, including the cancellation of 55,000 driver’s license suspensions and millions of dollars in debt forgiveness. She was part of a team of reporters who examined conditions at shelters for unaccompanied immigrant children; some of that reporting was included in a ProPublica series on the impact of President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance policy that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.

Sanchez was also among the first reporters to document the growing number of Central American children and teenagers working in factories and food-processing facilities. Most recently, she and her colleague Maryam Jameel examined conditions for immigrant workers on Wisconsin dairy farms; that reporting prompted a federal civil rights investigation and led to the creation of an $8 million fund to build housing for farmworkers. The series was a finalist for an Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics, among other recognitions.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Sanchez has also worked for The Chicago Reporter, Catalyst Chicago, El Nuevo Herald in Miami and the Yakima Herald-Republic in Washington. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their two young children. She is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador, and she speaks Spanish.

She has experience handling sensitive sources, including people in vulnerable positions and confidential documents. She can be reached by phone, Signal or WhatsApp at 872-444-0011 or by email at [email protected].

¿Qué pasa cuando los obreros que hacen jabón de manos contraen COVID-19? Protestan.

Después de que una trabajadora en una fábrica de productos de belleza cerca de Chicago muriera por COVID-19, sus compañeros armaron una protesta. Pero no solicitaron ayuda de OSHA. Solicitaron ayuda de un nuevo defensor: la fiscalía general del estado.

What Happens When the Workers Who Make Hand Soap Get COVID-19? They Protest.

After a worker at a beauty supply factory near Chicago died of COVID-19, her former co-workers staged a protest. But they didn’t seek help from OSHA. They sought help from a new advocate: the state attorney general’s office.

Al menos 37 menores en un albergue de Chicago para inmigrantes detenidos han dado positivo en pruebas de COVID-19

Un brote de coronavirus en una instalación de Heartland Alliance en la zona sur de Chicago puede ser el brote más grande en cualquier albergue para menores inmigrantes en el país. Al menos 37 menores y dos empleados han dado positivo.

At Least 19 Children at a Chicago Shelter for Immigrant Detainees Have Tested Positive for COVID-19

A coronavirus outbreak at a Heartland Alliance facility on Chicago’s South Side may be the largest outbreak of the virus in any shelter for immigrant youth in the country. At least 19 children and two staff have tested positive.

Obreros “esenciales” de fábricas temen ir al trabajo y no pueden permitirse quedarse en casa

Mientras fábricas y almacenes en Illinois se mantienen abiertos produciendo suministros en medio del brote de coronavirus, obreros dicen que trabajar codo a codo en las líneas de producción y fichar en los escáneres de huellas digitales podrían enfermarles.

“Essential” Factory Workers Are Afraid to Go to Work and Can’t Afford to Stay Home

As some Illinois factories and warehouses stay open making supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak, workers say standing elbow to elbow in production lines and clocking in with fingerprint scanners could make them sick.

Chicago Temporarily Halts Some Debt Collections and Ticketing Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the move to waive late penalties on city debts and stop the booting of vehicles was aimed at helping low-income residents.

A State Senator Had Thousands of Dollars in Ticket Debt. Now She’s Fighting to Make Sure Others Won’t.

Our Q+A with Illinois state Sen. Celina Villanueva, who introduced a bill to end driver’s license suspensions for unpaid red-light tickets.

Tens of Thousands of People Lost Driver’s Licenses Over Unpaid Parking Tickets. Now, They’re Getting Them Back.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Friday to end license suspensions for unpaid parking tickets, affecting nearly 55,000 Illinois motorists. Lawmakers cited ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ Chicago reporting for leading to the new law.

A Half-Million Chicago Drivers Have Unpaid Sticker Tickets, but Only 11,400 Applied for the City’s Relief Program

Advocates for ticket reform say they’re disappointed the city didn’t do more to encourage Chicago motorists to sign up for its debt relief program. The city says more reforms are coming.

Illinois Legislators Vote to End License Suspensions for Motorists With Unpaid Parking Tickets

The measure must still be signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has been critical of how ticket debt harms Chicago motorists.

I’m Looking for My Next Story

How searching court records, data and talking to people can spark an investigation. I hope.

Hundreds of Thousands of Chicago Motorists Could Receive Debt Relief From Vehicle Sticker Tickets as the City Expands Reform

Attention, Chicago motorists: You have until Oct. 31 to buy a city sticker and then qualify for a new debt forgiveness program.

Here’s What to Expect From Chicago City Council’s Ticket Reform

Chicago became the largest U.S. city to enact major reforms to its system of parking fines and fees. City officials say more changes are coming.

Chicago City Council Approves Ticket and Debt Collection Reforms to Help Low-Income and Minority Motorists

The measures, which were prompted by a ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ Chicago investigation, are scheduled to take effect by mid-November.

En una disputa sobre tutela, los hijos de un padre hispanohablante se quedarán con sus padres de acogida eslovacohablantes

El caso es un ejemplo que pone en duda si el Departamento de Servicios para Niños y Familias de Illinois sirve adecuadamente a familias hispanohablantes y cumple con el decreto Burgos de la corte federal.

In a Disputed Custody Case, the Children of a Spanish-Speaking Father Will Remain With Their Slovak-Speaking Foster Parents

The case is one example that questions whether the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services adequately serves Spanish-speaking families and lives up to the Burgos federal court consent decree.

Parents Gave Up Custody of Their Children to Help Them Get Financial Aid. Now, Some Are Abandoning That Idea.

Some families are frustrated about a public backlash, saying what they did was legal. They say the real problem is the cost of higher education.

Inside the Illinois House Hearing on the Financial Aid Scandal

Lawmakers described the practice as disturbing, disheartening and shocking.

At Hearing on Financial Aid Scandal, Lawmakers Grill Officials and Look to Close a Loophole

Illinois politicians considered denying admission to students whose families exploited the guardianship law to qualify for aid they wouldn’t otherwise receive, saying it was an “injustice.”

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