Ari Figueroa

Ariana Figueroa

[email protected] https://twitter.com/arianalfigueroa https://bsky.app/profile/arianalfigueroa.bsky.social

Ariana covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include immigration, congressional policy and legal challenges with a focus on how those policies impact the lives of immigrants and migrants coming to the U.S.

Before joining States Newsroom, Ariana covered public health and chemical policy on Capitol Hill for E&E News. As a Florida native, she's worked for the Miami Herald and her hometown paper, the Tampa Bay Times. Her work has also appeared in the Chicago Tribune and NPR.

She is a graduate of the University of Florida.

he U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
National

US Supreme Court allows gender-affirming care for trans people in federal prisons

Oct 21, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday denied the Trump administration's emergency request to implement a rule that would terminate gender-affirming care for transgender people incarcerated in federal prisons. It means a lower court order that blocked the policy from...
Ukrainians living in Nebraska and supporters gathered at an event earlier this year marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
National

Ukrainians and Sudanese with temporary legal status will keep protections for now

Oct 19, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — Immigrants living in the United States with humanitarian status from Ukraine and Sudan will retain their deportation protections and work authorizations for now, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend. More than 100,000 Ukrainians and roughly...
‘Forgotten war’: Nebraska veteran, former lawmaker readies ninth Ukraine mission amid Russian war
National

Immigrants from Ukraine, Sudan could soon lose protected status

Oct 16, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — More than 100,000 Ukrainians and roughly 2,000 Sudanese immigrants are bracing for the possibility they’ll lose their humanitarian protections by Monday. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has not indicated if he will renew protections for Ukrainians, who first...
The main gate at Fort Hood on South Fort Hood Street in Killeen, Texas. (Photo credit: U.S. Army)
National

Trump: Execution of Fort Hood shooter will not be livestreamed

Oct 15, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump Thursday announced that the execution of a man convicted of the Fort Hood shooting will not be livestreamed, a reversal after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that Nidal Hasan’s death by firing squad...
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., looks on during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
National

Democrats aiming for control of Congress vow action on healthcare, cost of living, Iran war

Oct 14, 2026
Shauneen Miranda Ariana Figueroa Ashley Murray Jonathan Shorman
WASHINGTON — Democrats are touting an ambitious legislative agenda centered on affordability and accountability if they take back the U.S. House or Senate — or both — in November. A slew of pressing policy debates are on tap for Democrats...
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's badge and weapon are seen as ICE conducts a vehicle checkpoint on Georgia Avenue on Aug. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
National

Nonpartisan government watchdog recommends automated activation of ICE body cameras

Oct 14, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection need to improve oversight and guidance for federal immigration officers' use of body-worn cameras, according to a Wednesday report from independent federal investigators. Officials with the Department...
President Donald Trump points into the crowd after headlining a midterms rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Oct. 5, 2026, at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds, with thousands in attendance. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
National

Trump heads West in latest swing to bolster GOP in rocky lead-up to midterms

Oct 12, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week will journey out West in an effort to galvanize support for Republican candidates three weeks before the midterm elections and convince voters to support his party amid low presidential approval ratings. As the...
ICE changes location of Tennessee call center site from Adams to Nashville
National

Federal funds for local police enforcement accelerated Trump immigration crackdown

Oct 02, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — This summer, arrests of immigrants in the United States soared to the highest levels since President Donald Trump returned to office. An unprecedented increase in cooperation between local and state law enforcement and federal immigration officers through collaborations...
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
National

US Supreme Court allows Trump to resume deportations outside immigrants’ home countries

Sep 29, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted, for now, the Trump administration’s request to continue rapid third-country deportation of immigrants to countries not their own. The decision will allow the Trump administration to carry out its aggressive deportation...
ICE deportation flights surge at Ohio’s Akron-Canton Airport as unpaid landing fees mount
National

Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador

Sep 29, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — Most judges on a federal appeals court seemed inclined during oral arguments Tuesday to allow a federal judge to continue investigating Trump officials for possible criminal contempt-of-court charges for defying a judicial order by sending more than 100...
Kristi Noem, at the time secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, receives a tour of the CECOT prison with Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025. (Photo by Tia Dufour/Department of Homeland Security)
National

Venezuelan men shipped to brutal prison under Alien Enemies Act ask court for due process

Sep 25, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — An appeals panel Friday seemed inclined to agree that more than 100 Venezuelan men the Trump administration sent to a brutal prison in El Salvador are entitled to due process hearings to challenge their removal, which was made...
he U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
National

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to permit quick third-country deportations

Sep 24, 2026
Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Thursday made an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow for rapid third-country deportations of noncitizens to continue, after an appeals court blocked the policy last week. In a brief, U.S. Solicitor General...