Julia Ainsley
I am NBC News’ Senior Homeland Security Correspondent covering all activities of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. My coverage areas include immigration enforcement, counterterrorism, the Secret Service and drug trafficking across U.S borders.
Experience
Prior to joining NBC News, I was a reporter for Reuters, covering financial markets, the White House and finally the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. At Reuters, I was the first to break news on the first Trump travel ban and the separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border. At NBC News, I have worked with a team of reporters and producers to uncover conditions for immigrant minors working in U.S. slaughterhouses, immigrants on the U.S. terror watchlist mistakenly released by Border Patrol under the Biden administration, and plans for the Trump administration to ramp up deportation operations.
I attended Davidson College for my undergraduate education and Northwestern University for my master’s in journalism.
Awards
The Hillman Prize for Journalism, the National Press Foundation’s award for Economic Justice Journalism, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Elaine Rivera Civil Rights and Social Justice Award, and the New York Press Club Documentary Award.








