Melissa Gomez
@melissagomez.bsky.social
Covering immigration at the Los Angeles Times| A veces hablo español | Florida native | Journalism ain't dead. Chill. hmu: [email protected]
Pinned
Melissa Gomez
@melissagomez.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Melissa Gomez - Los Angeles Times
Melissa Gomez is an enterprise reporter on the State Team who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2018.
www.latimes.com
Hello! I’m a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. I’ll be posting my work and share my colleagues’ work here - you can find my stories here:
www.latimes.com/people/melis...
www.latimes.com/people/melis...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
NEW: LA Times journalists (@latguild.bsky.social) approved a new contract after three years of hard-fought negotiations.
Under the deal, which covers more than 200 Guild members, every newsroom worker will receive a raise of at least $3,000 in the first year.
newsguild.org/los-angeles-...
Under the deal, which covers more than 200 Guild members, every newsroom worker will receive a raise of at least $3,000 in the first year.
newsguild.org/los-angeles-...
Los Angeles Times journalists approve new contract by 87% after three years | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA
Unionized journalists at the Los Angeles Times voted 156 to 23 on Tuesday to ratify a three-year contract deal with Media Guild of the West.
newsguild.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
NEW: LA Times journalists (@latguild.bsky.social) approved a new contract after three years of hard-fought negotiations.
Under the deal, which covers more than 200 Guild members, every newsroom worker will receive a raise of at least $3,000 in the first year.
newsguild.org/los-angeles-...
Under the deal, which covers more than 200 Guild members, every newsroom worker will receive a raise of at least $3,000 in the first year.
newsguild.org/los-angeles-...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
We are all the passed out raccon in the bathroom.
December 3, 2025 at 11:43 PM
We are all the passed out raccon in the bathroom.
"The list of luminaries who have condemned the agency’s actions or filed legal copyright removal requests (Jay-Z had his song “Public Service Announcement” struck from a DHS social media post) reads like a sold-out Coachella lineup: Jay-Z, Olivia Rodrigo, MGMT..."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Commentary: The DHS keeps poaching music for ICE recruitment ads. Musicians keep demanding it back
Poaching the work of pop music artists appears to be the only way the DHS can utilize music that actually appeals to people younger than 50.
www.latimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
"The list of luminaries who have condemned the agency’s actions or filed legal copyright removal requests (Jay-Z had his song “Public Service Announcement” struck from a DHS social media post) reads like a sold-out Coachella lineup: Jay-Z, Olivia Rodrigo, MGMT..."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
heartbreaking look inside the Stockton banquet hall where kids were slaughtered as parents return to a scene of horror
latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com/california/s...
Inside the Stockton banquet hall where kids were slaughtered, parents return to a scene of horror
In an act that left this gritty San Joaquin Valley city in a state of numb fear, a gunman or gunmen had crashed their child’s birthday party Saturday night. On Sunday, the family confronted a scene of...
latimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:50 PM
heartbreaking look inside the Stockton banquet hall where kids were slaughtered as parents return to a scene of horror
latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
Trump administration immigration crackdowns are driving unexpected enrollment declines at U.S. schools. Read more here: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-29/school-enrollment-plummets-lausd-amid-trump-immigration-raids?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_
School enrollment drops amid ICE raids. 'We just don't know what happened to them.'
Schools across Southern California are facing steeper enrollment declines as Trump immigration enforcement actions discourage or prevent students from enrolling.
www.latimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Trump administration immigration crackdowns are driving unexpected enrollment declines at U.S. schools. Read more here: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-29/school-enrollment-plummets-lausd-amid-trump-immigration-raids?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_
Despite court wins, immigrants stay detained as ICE seeks to deport them
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Despite court wins, immigrants stay detained as ICE seeks to deport them
Immigration attorneys described an escalating trend of cases in which someone who won protection from deportation has remained indefinitely detained.
www.latimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Despite court wins, immigrants stay detained as ICE seeks to deport them
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
Christopher Knight's @knightlat.bsky.social's last column for the LA Times! 🫡
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Column: L.A. exploded into a world art capital. I was lucky to be here to witness it
Los Angeles' ascension coincided with the 46-year career of art critic Christopher Knight. In his final column for The Times, he cites three important factors in that rise.
www.latimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Christopher Knight's @knightlat.bsky.social's last column for the LA Times! 🫡
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
Undocumented farmworkers have formed the backbone of California agriculture for more than a century, yet they face mounting fears of ICE raids under the Trump administration.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Hard lives in California's fields: 'The American dream eats us alive'
Immigrant farmworkers toil, season after season, in jobs that most Americans wouldn't endure for a week. It's a rough life that takes a heavy toll.
www.latimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Undocumented farmworkers have formed the backbone of California agriculture for more than a century, yet they face mounting fears of ICE raids under the Trump administration.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
"A Times analysis of court records related to assaults on federal law enforcement in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, D.C., shows the majority of the alleged attacks resulted in no injury to an agent."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Trump administration claim not backed up by court records
The Trump administration has cited a more than 1,000% increase in assaults on immigration agents to justify aggressive tactics. But court records reviewed by The Times show the majority of the alleged...
www.latimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:02 PM
"A Times analysis of court records related to assaults on federal law enforcement in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, D.C., shows the majority of the alleged attacks resulted in no injury to an agent."
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
SCOOP: An L.A. grand jury is now hearing evidence in the case of a teen girl found stuffed in trunk of Dv4d's Tesla, sources tell me & @lacrimes.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...
L.A. grand jury now probing mystery of dead teen stuffed in trunk of Dv4d's Tesla, sources say
Although the LAPD has publicly declined to call the death a homicide, a recent court filing calls the matter "an investigation into murder."
www.latimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:06 PM
SCOOP: An L.A. grand jury is now hearing evidence in the case of a teen girl found stuffed in trunk of Dv4d's Tesla, sources tell me & @lacrimes.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...
"But offering her an editorship showed disregard for the damage she’s caused and the journalistic ethics she’s burned to the ground. The glamorous photo shoots, the breathless gossip... all function to rehabilitate the images and careers of people who have done harm."
newrepublic.com/article/2035...
newrepublic.com/article/2035...
Olivia Nuzzi’s Real Victims
More than her fiancé, or fellow female journalists, the public will pay the price for these misdeeds. RFK Jr. will see to that.
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:08 PM
"But offering her an editorship showed disregard for the damage she’s caused and the journalistic ethics she’s burned to the ground. The glamorous photo shoots, the breathless gossip... all function to rehabilitate the images and careers of people who have done harm."
newrepublic.com/article/2035...
newrepublic.com/article/2035...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
Cubans and other third-country nationals deported from the U.S. are being dropped off on the streets of Villahermosa, Mexico, where they struggle to survive.
Though Mexico receives these deportees, it does not give them any legal status to live or work there.
capitalandmain.com/im-lost-in-t...
Though Mexico receives these deportees, it does not give them any legal status to live or work there.
capitalandmain.com/im-lost-in-t...
‘I’m Lost in This Country’: Non-Mexicans Living Undocumented After Deportation to Mexico
Cubans and other third-country nationals are dropped off on the streets of Villahermosa where they struggle to survive.
capitalandmain.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Cubans and other third-country nationals deported from the U.S. are being dropped off on the streets of Villahermosa, Mexico, where they struggle to survive.
Though Mexico receives these deportees, it does not give them any legal status to live or work there.
capitalandmain.com/im-lost-in-t...
Though Mexico receives these deportees, it does not give them any legal status to live or work there.
capitalandmain.com/im-lost-in-t...
Thousands of Immigrant Students Flee L.A. Unified Schools After ‘Chilling Effect’ of ICE Raids
www.the74million.org/article/thou...
www.the74million.org/article/thou...
Thousands of Immigrant Students Flee L.A. Unified Schools After ‘Chilling Effect’ of ICE Raids
The nation’s second-largest district now enrolls about 62,000 English learners, down from more than 75,000 immigrant students in the 2024-25 academic.
www.the74million.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Thousands of Immigrant Students Flee L.A. Unified Schools After ‘Chilling Effect’ of ICE Raids
www.the74million.org/article/thou...
www.the74million.org/article/thou...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
Farmworkers sue Trump administration in California over threat to wages
Farmworkers sue Trump administration in California over threat to wages
The United Farm Workers, along with more than a dozen farmworkers, filed a federal lawsuit in California challenging a new Labor Department rule they argue will "undercut and adversely affect" wages paid to U.S. workers.
www.latimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Farmworkers sue Trump administration in California over threat to wages
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
BREAKING: L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman is moving to drop charges against Torrance officers in the 2018 fatal shooting of Christopher Deandre Mitchell, undoing a signature case filed by ex-D.A. George Gascon www.latimes.com/california/s...
D.A. moves to drop charges against Torrance officers in fatal shooting of Black man
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman moved to dismiss a manslaughter indictment against two Torrance police officers who shot and killed Christopher Deandre Mitchell in 2018. Mitchell, a car ...
www.latimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM
BREAKING: L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman is moving to drop charges against Torrance officers in the 2018 fatal shooting of Christopher Deandre Mitchell, undoing a signature case filed by ex-D.A. George Gascon www.latimes.com/california/s...
What an incredible piece of reporting from my former colleague @lajourno.bsky.social, who spent months reporting how the state has under-investigated children working in harsh conditions in fields across California. Spend the time to read and hear from the children.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
California's child farmworkers: Exhausted, underpaid and toiling in toxic fields
State officials are failing to protect the health and safety of thousands of young field laborers, an investigation has found.
www.latimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:50 PM
What an incredible piece of reporting from my former colleague @lajourno.bsky.social, who spent months reporting how the state has under-investigated children working in harsh conditions in fields across California. Spend the time to read and hear from the children.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
An autopsy made public today shows a Border Patrol agent was depressed and died of a cocaine overdose a month after he was arrested in Long Beach. My latest: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Border Patrol agent died of cocaine overdose a month after Long Beach arrest, autopsy says
U.S. Border Patrol agent Isaiah Hodgson died of a cocaine overdose in August, one month after he was arrested for drunkenly fighting with Long Beach police, according to an autopsy report made public ...
www.latimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:36 AM
An autopsy made public today shows a Border Patrol agent was depressed and died of a cocaine overdose a month after he was arrested in Long Beach. My latest: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Immokalee is one of Florida's most low-income areas, and about 73% Latino. It's also heavily agricultural - this is like targeting the Central Valley in California.
www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/immo...
www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/immo...
Immokalee High School urges staff to support students after impact of ICE raids in Collier County
ICE agents have been detaining people across Collier County, causing emotional distress among students at Immokalee High School as families face uncertainty.
www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Immokalee is one of Florida's most low-income areas, and about 73% Latino. It's also heavily agricultural - this is like targeting the Central Valley in California.
www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/immo...
www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/immo...
Maribel Lopez was supposed to be protected from deportation because she had a pending asylum case on appeal, after fleeing years of abuse in Guatemala. Instead, she was deported in error & left behind a 2-year-old son. Now back in the U.S., she remains in detention.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
She Was Deported in Error. Her Child Was Left Behind.
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Maribel Lopez was supposed to be protected from deportation because she had a pending asylum case on appeal, after fleeing years of abuse in Guatemala. Instead, she was deported in error & left behind a 2-year-old son. Now back in the U.S., she remains in detention.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
"What are young and/or struggling journalists supposed to think when the most successful people in the business are the ones with malleable ethics and poor judgement (and, to be honest, pretty bad writers)?"
@marisakabas.bsky.social with some sharp thoughts 👇🏼
www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-...
@marisakabas.bsky.social with some sharp thoughts 👇🏼
www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-...
Moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field
The Nuzzi/RFK Jr. mess and the revelation of Epstein’s journo pals lay bare a profound moral absence at the heart of our free press.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 19, 2025 at 9:52 PM
"What are young and/or struggling journalists supposed to think when the most successful people in the business are the ones with malleable ethics and poor judgement (and, to be honest, pretty bad writers)?"
@marisakabas.bsky.social with some sharp thoughts 👇🏼
www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-...
@marisakabas.bsky.social with some sharp thoughts 👇🏼
www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-...
Law enforcement physically attacked 72 journalists covering immigration in LA this year—more than double the city’s 2020 BLM protest total, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
Scrappy and underpaid, LA's independent reporters risk it all to cover the ICE beat
Law enforcement physically attacked 72 journalists covering immigration in LA this year—more than double the city's 2020 BLM protest total, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
lapublicpress.org
November 20, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Law enforcement physically attacked 72 journalists covering immigration in LA this year—more than double the city’s 2020 BLM protest total, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
An L.A. jury deadlocked on assault charges against an ex-Whittier who shot and paralyzed an unarmed man in 2020, leading to a mistrial. My latest: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Mistrial declared in case of ex-Whittier cop charged for shooting unarmed man in back
Jurors could not reach a verdict against former Whittier police detective Salvador Murillo, who was charged with multiple counts of assault for shooting a fleeing unarmed suspect in the spine in 2020,...
www.latimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:34 PM
An L.A. jury deadlocked on assault charges against an ex-Whittier who shot and paralyzed an unarmed man in 2020, leading to a mistrial. My latest: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Melissa Gomez
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
“[We] at The Washington Post will continue to remind you that one of our colleagues in the not-so-distant past was murdered... “That’s not something we can just wipe under the rug or forget about.”
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia was branded a pariah in 2018 after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Now, U.S.-Saudi relations are approaching a high point.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:50 PM
“[We] at The Washington Post will continue to remind you that one of our colleagues in the not-so-distant past was murdered... “That’s not something we can just wipe under the rug or forget about.”
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...