ListenAmy Isackson has been the border reporter at KPBS in San Diego since 2004. She covers breaking news and feature stories on California-Mexico border issues and immigration, for local and national broadcast.
Amy got her start in public radio by pitching a series of stories about rural New Zealand - horse dentistry and sheep sheering - to Radio New Zealand's "Country Life" program. She then worked with Peabody Award-winning radio producers Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, to help create the Sonic Memorial, a series of stories on the World Trade Center before, during and after 9/11.
Since joining KPBS, Amy's work has been recognized with awards from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California and Nevada, the California Chicano News Media Association, and the San Diego Press Club. Most recently, she won the Sol Price Prize for Responsible Journalism for her story about high school students smuggling people and drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Prior to venturing into the wonderful world of public radio, Amy worked for Yahoo! Inc. for nearly five years as an editorial surfer, associate producer and broadcast communications manager. She majored in Latin American History at Williams College. She grew up in San Diego and made frequent trips south of the border.
Recent Stories
Mexican Southbound Screening Snarling San Ysidro Traffic
Mexico's screening of cars headed south across the U.S. Mexico border into Tijuana is snarling traffic on San Ysidro streets and on freeways in the South Bay. It can take an hour and a half to cross into Tijuana during peak hours.
Mexican Authorities Find Tunnel Under Construction
Mexican authorities have discovered what's presumed to be a smuggling tunnel under construction just a few hundred feet from the U.S. Mexico border fence.
Volunteers Haul 600 Tires, Trash Out Of Tijuana River Valley
About 300 volunteers from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border hauled more than six tons of trash out of the Tijuana River Valley last weekend. Volunteers want to help prevent flooding this winter and keep trash from washing out to sea.
Bi-National Tijuana River Valley Clean-Up Saturday
Volunteers from both sides of the US Mexico border plan to haul trash out San Diego's Tijuana River Valley on Saturday morning. Volunteers hope to prevent flooding in the Valley this winter and help keep trash from floating out to sea.
U.S. Treasury Freezes Assets of Alleged Arellano Felix Associate
The U.S. Treasury Department has frozen the assets of a Tijuana man who was allegedly a personal assistant to the Arellano Felix drug cartel's former leader.
Arrests Indicate New Drug Cartel At Work In San Diego Tijuana Region
There are indications that a new drug cartel may be operating in the San Diego-Tijuana border region. A nationwide sweep of arrests also targeted members of the cartel working in San Diego.
Analyst Says Cartel Guilty Pleas Send Message
Four men who were once high ranking members of Tijuana's Arellano Felix Drug Cartel have pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego in the last week. Analysts say the pleas send a strong message.
Federal Officials Warn People Not To Buy Guns For Someone Else
Federal firearms officials and a firearms trade association launched a campaign in San Diego Wednesday to remind people that buying a gun for someone else is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Dogs Help Sniff Out Drug Smugglers At Border Crossings
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are using drug sniffing dogs to help patrol pedestrian crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border in California. Federal officials say it's a pilot program to help crack down on drug smuggling.
Law Enforcement Says No To Enforcing Immigration Laws, Again
San Diego law enforcement officials reiterate they will not participate in a controversial federal program that trains local authorities to find and deport illegal immigrants.
