Ashley Cleek

Ashley Cleek is a reporter and producer working on stories about law and immigration. She's reported stories for PRI in Turkey, India, Ukraine and Russia, and across the US. She lives in New York but still calls Alabama home.

Woman against white wall holding up certificate that shows nursing credentials

For this nurse trained abroad, working at a US hospital is years away

October 24, 2018Brain Gain

Only 40 percent of nurses trained abroad pass the US licensing exam the first time. But educators say it’s not because they aren’t qualified.

Young girl, shown from behind, with arms outstreched, in room in home

The government says it will help reunite families they separated at the border — but not all of them

October 10, 2018Immigration

Letter from US government in focus, being held up by a man who is out of focus behind it

The government says Border Patrol agents in the Southwest speak Spanish — but many migrants speak Indigenous languages

July 3, 2018Immigration

Girl in room with Mother's Day balloon in front of her face

This mother, already deported, doesn’t know if she’ll ever be reunited with the daughter taken from her at the US border

June 25, 2018Immigration

Young girl walking on lawn, holding teddy bears

For this mother and daughter, separated a year ago at the southern border, Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy isn’t new

June 6, 2018Immigration

Blurry image of woman in pink hodded sweatshirt standing in front of window, with reflection of trees

With smuggling costs skyrocketing, parents balance risk and debt for their children’s future

February 28, 2018Conflict

The cost of smuggling has gone up in the last year — sharply. But, for the safety of their children, parents get references, take out loans and make the best smuggling decision they can.

The complicated reasons why some people overstay their US visas

October 25, 2017Conflict

For some people, overstaying their visa was never the plan. Rather, it is the result of one, or several, extenuating circumstances that convince immigrants they cannot or do not want to return to their countries.

Family of six sitting closely together on a sofa

The courts called him a terrorist, but one judge and several politicians want him to be able to stay in the US

July 21, 2017Global Politics

Depending on whom you ask, Malachy McAllister is either an Irish terrorist or a persecuted asylum seeker. Either way, he’s been facing deportation for 10 years.

Weighing the risks of a ‘sanctuary’ campus

February 16, 2017Education

With some students worrying more about deportation, the pressure on campuses to declare themselves safe spaces is intensifying. But not everyone is on board.

Bodegas — a sacred New York institution — are always open. But they weren’t on Thursday.

February 3, 2017Conflict

On Thursday, Yemeni bodega owners in New York declared a strike: They would close for eight hours, from noon to 8 p.m., in protest of Trump’s immigration and refugee restrictions.