Between Worlds/Behind Bars

Series produced by Jessica Partnow

Series image

A four-part series exploring immigration detention and deportation in the Puget Sound region.

From the dark days of the Chinese Exclusion Act to post–September 11 crackdowns on undocumented immigrants, immigration detention has a controversial history in both our nation and in the Puget Sound region. "Between Worlds / Behind Bars" is a four–part series exploring immigration detention from its roots in the 1930s at "Seattle's Ellis Island" in the International District to today's privately–run Northwest Detention Center on the Tacoma Tideflats.


4 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Detention in the City of Destiny
From: Jessica Partnow
Series: Between Worlds/Behind Bars
Caption: GEO Guard at the Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma., Credit: Alex Stonehill
In 2004 a new detention center opened on the tideflats below downtown Tacoma. Owned and operated by a private corporation, it houses up to a thousa...

Bought by Public Radio Remix


  • Added: Jun 16, 2010
  • Length: 08:19
  • Purchases: 1
Seattle's Ellis Island
From: Jessica Partnow
Series: Between Worlds/Behind Bars
Caption: Many Uch at the Airport Way Detention Facility., Credit: Eroyn Franklin
An imposing brick building on Airport Way at the edge of the International District housed detained immigrants from 1931 to 2004. It was once known...

Bought by Public Radio Remix


  • Added: Jun 16, 2010
  • Length: 08:58
  • Purchases: 1
Living in Limbo
From: Jessica Partnow
Series: Between Worlds/Behind Bars
Caption: Gabriela Cubillos prepares tamales in her home. , Credit: Eroyn Franklin
In our final segment, producer Jessica Partnow follows the story of one family living in immigration limbo in Auburn, Washington.

Bought by KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and Public Radio Remix


  • Added: Jun 16, 2010
  • Length: 08:32
  • Purchases: 2
Washington on the Front Lines
From: Jessica Partnow
Series: Between Worlds/Behind Bars
Caption: Agent Michael Bermudez, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent and Public Affairs Officer, US Customs and Border Patrol., Credit: Eroyn Franklin
This story takes us to Washington state's border with Canada, where the Border Patrol arrests hundreds of people each year. Producer Jessica Partno...

  • Added: Jun 16, 2010
  • Length: 08:40

Playlists That Feature This Series: