Arelis R. Hernández

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering the U.S. Southern border, Immigration, Texas and beyond

Education: University of Maryland, BA in broadcast journalism, minor in U.S. Latinx studies

Arelis Hernández has covered hurricanes, mass shootings and most recently, has been in and out of Puerto Rico chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. She was part of the team that created the digital project “Sin Luz: Life without power,” which garnered an national Emmy nomination and international recognition. She joined the Washington Post staff in 2014 to cover Prince George's County, a suburb of Washington D.C., where she grew up. Hernández has also spent time in Venezuela for the foreign desk and at one point lived in Puerto Rico to probe the politics, culture and social movements
Latest from Arelis R. Hernández

Texas county at center of border fight is overwhelmed by migrant deaths

A Texas county that is ground zero in the feud between Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over the border has been overwhelmed responding to migrant deaths.

April 14, 2024

Total eclipse brings tears, joy to Texas border city mired in conflict

As the eclipse enraptured millions, it left a particularly resonant mark in Eagle Pass, ground zero in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s feud with Biden over immigration.

April 8, 2024

Clouds part and crowds scream as total solar eclipse delights the U.S.

Americans took in the awe-inspiring view of the last coast-to-coast total solar eclipse until 2045.

April 8, 2024
People react as the eclipse reaches totality at a festival in Russellville, Ark., on Monday.

    Experiencing a solar eclipse: ‘Nothing can prepare you’

    On April 8, 2024, millions in the path of totality experienced momentary darkness and, for some, a moment of transcendence.

    April 8, 2024

    How Texas is challenging the Biden administration on border policy

    Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has launched multiple high-profile challenges to the Biden administration’s border policies. A look at the legal battles that have followed.

    March 27, 2024

    Texas immigration law is on hold. But the confusion is still mounting.

    Even before the latest legal developments, Texas’s implementation of Senate Bill 4 was causing confusion. But anxiety and fear over the controversial law is reaching a new level.

    March 20, 2024
    Migrants camp out Tuesday on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande in El Paso, as seen from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, after the U.S. Supreme Court let a law known as S.B. 4 temporarily take effect. (Justin Hamel/Reuters)

    What to know about S.B. 4, Texas’s contested immigration law

    The law has sparked outcry from civil society groups worried that even U.S. citizens will have their rights trampled on.

    March 20, 2024
    Members of the Texas National Guard prevent migrants from passing through razor wire at the southern border on March 13 in El Paso. (John Moore/Getty Images)

    Appeals court again blocks Texas from arresting and deporting migrants

    The law known as S.B. 4 makes it a state crime for migrants to enter Texas illegally, even though immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

    March 20, 2024
    U.S. service members and law enforcement officers stand over migrants in Eagle Pass, Tex., who crossed the Rio Grande into the United States on Monday. (John Moore/Getty Images)

    A border Democrat wants to seize back the debate on immigration

    Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar is convening lawmakers to form a working group he hopes will change the Democratic message on border and immigration.

    March 8, 2024
    Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), shown in 2022, represents a district that borders the Rio Grande.

    Supreme Court keeps Texas migrant law on hold until at least March 13

    The Supreme Court action is the latest chapter in the Biden administration’s battle with Texas over whether states can play a role in immigration enforcement.

    March 4, 2024
    Migrants from Honduras are directed by a Hidalgo County, Tex., constable on where to wait for Border Patrol personnel in March 2021 in Mission, Tex.