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Cengiz Yar

I am a visuals editor at ProPublica.

Want to Work Together?

Are you a photographer or illustrator who wants to work with ProPublica? Send me an email with your portfolio or pitches.

What I Work On

I edit, photograph and art direct stories across the site. My primary focus is visual coverage for projects in the Midwest, Southwest and Texas.

My Background

I have worked in visual journalism for over a decade, from reporting in the field to building groundbreaking online packages.

Before joining ProPublica, I edited for publications like Rest of World, Roads & Kingdoms, and The Guardian. As a photographer, my work has primarily focused on migration and the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

I am the inaugural recipient of the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a Dart Center Ochberg Fellow in Journalism and Trauma.

“We Will Fight Back”: Aid Workers Fear Closing a Camp on the Arizona Border Will Endanger Migrants

For the past two years, religious and humanitarian organizations have provided food and aid to migrants at a camp near Sasabe, Arizona. Just before Donald Trump took office, volunteers were told to clear off federal land.

by Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria, photography by Cengiz Yar, ProPublica,

Local Reporting Network

The New Immigration

Trump Is Spending Billions on Border Security. Some Residents Living There Lack Basic Resources.

The president has reportedly urged Congress to pass $175 billion for border security. But residents of Del Rio, Texas, and Douglas, Arizona, say their basic needs — like safe drinking water and hospital access — aren’t being met.

by Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and photography by Cengiz Yar, ProPublica,

Número récord de policías locales se unen a controversial programa de ICE para ayudar con deportaciones

ICE ha impulsado la expansión sin precedentes del Programa 287(g), el cual se ha basado en acuerdos que les permiten a los agencias locales ejercer funciones de deportación durante actividades policiacas de rutina.

por Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria, y Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica,

Local Reporting Network

Local Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight

ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.

by Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria, and Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica,

Local Reporting Network

Congress Has Demanded Answers to ICE Detaining Americans. The Administration Has Responded With Silence.

Amid increasing reports that U.S. citizens have been caught up in the Trump administration’s immigration dragnet, a dozen members of Congress have written to the government with pointed questions. None has received a reply.

by Nicole Foy,

How Elon Musk, George Soros and Other Billionaires Are Shaping the Most Expensive Court Race in U.S. History

Ten years ago, Wisconsin approved unlimited political spending. Now, as spending for its Supreme Court race surpasses more than $80 million, some campaign reformers are wondering if the state is reaching a tipping point.

by Megan O’Matz,

“Lucharemos”: Trabajadores humanitarios temen que el cierre de un campamento en la frontera de Arizona ponga en peligro a los migrantes

Durante los últimos dos años, organizaciones religiosas y humanitarias han proporcionado alimento y ayuda a los migrantes en un campamento cerca de Sasabe. Justo antes de que Donald Trump asumiera el cargo, los voluntarios fueron instruidos a desalojar tierras federales.

por Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria, fotografía por Cengiz Yar, ProPublica,

Local Reporting Network