immigration

Disgruntled berry pickers at a major farm in Skagit Valley have brought their fight to grocery stores in Seattle, Mount Vernon and Bellingham. On Tuesday, about a dozen farm workers and advocates waved handmade signs outside of the upscale Ballard Market in Seattle, calling for a boycott.

“Don’t buy Sakuma berries,” shouted Anna Lopez, who’s picked berries at Sakuma Brothers Farms for about 10 years. Just inside the store, the produce section features deals on fresh-picked Sakuma blueberries and strawberries.

Hear ye, hear ye! 'Tis the last RadioActive podcast of Summer 2013! Hosts Rachel Lam and Amina Ibrahim take a little trip down memory lane. It's a journey to where unruly foliage and lost birds litter the view, to those moments when things felt beyond our control. 

Women now comprise 50 percent of the workforce. But for the most part, they’re not running big companies or Congress and they’re still getting paid less.

Looking at the statistics, Hanna Rosin sees big changes coming. She documents these changes in her book, "The End Of Men: And The Rise Of Women." With universities now dominated by women, Rosin sees men struggling to adapt to a changing economy. Meanwhile, she says women, accustomed to being more flexible, are on the ascent.

Full list of stories on KUOW Presents, August 6:

The city of Seattle wants to help clear the way for some unauthorized immigrants to get a work visa. Today city officials reminded young immigrants that they can use a Seattle City Light bill to help prove their residency.

Against the backdrop of a giant American flag, 487 people from more than 80 countries became US citizens during a special 4th of July ceremony yesterday at Seattle Center.

Among them was Seattle resident Star Rush, 45, whose family came here from Vietnam in 1972 seeking refuge from the war.

Across Washington state this week, supporters of immigration reform are taking up a new challenge: no food for 24 hours. The effort is part of national fast that’s underway as Congress debates a sweeping immigration bill.

  Matthew Yglesias is a business and economics correspondent for Slate Magazine. His latest book is called "The Rent is Too Damn High." He talked with David Hyde about the latest on the economy, politics and immigration.

King County council members on Thursday introduced a measure that would limit when unauthorized immigrants can be held in jail.

Every year, hundreds of people booked into King County jail automatically get handed over to immigration authorities. That's even if the person has not yet been convicted of a crime and has no criminal record. Council member Larry Gosset introduced legislation that would change that.

Forty-eight days: That’s the average time people who are suspected of immigration violations are held in detention in Washington state before they are released or deported. A new report from researchers at Syracuse University also concludes that among states with the largest populations of detainees, Washington ranks among the worst for long detention times: number 20 out of 30.

One of the most persistent stories about America — that it was made by immigrants fleeing "the old country" — is also one of the most incomplete. And since stories shape our perception of reality, poet Colleen McElroy is intent on telling another aspect of America's story in "Crossing Oceans."  The poem appears in her most recent collection "Here I Throw Down My Heart" (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012).

In her green minivan, Angelica Villa navigates the farm roads north of Bellingham like a seasoned tour guide. She points out a cannery, a potato plant and miles of berry fields.  Villa previously worked at many of these places and she rattles off story after story about harassment on the job.

Nigisti Hailemariam has been in the United States for over 20 years. She has two kids, a stable job, and a red Honda outside her three-bedroom apartment. But life wasn't always this peaceful for Nigisti. RadioActive youth producer Yafiet Bezabih tells the story of his mother's journey.

Trish Millines Dziko co-founded the Technology Access Foundation in 1996 to provide science, math, engineering and technology education for Seattle's students of color. Access to technology has improved since the foundation was created, but many low-income students and students of color still face obstacles to becoming innovators and creators. How can we close the gap so all students have equal opportunities? Can programs like this work in all of our school districts? Trish Dziko joins us.

Attorneys with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle say they’ve reached agreement with federal officials on a nationwide class action lawsuit.  The case was filed on behalf of immigrants requesting asylum in the US who say they face persecution or harm in their home countries. The settlement aims to speed up the process for asylum seekers to get a work permit.