Independent journalism by Samuel N. Gilbert

featuring reporting on immigration, border communities, international conflict, climate change, and Indigenous foodways. A portfolio of published work from leading global news outlets

Protests target Spanish colonial statues that ‘celebrate genocide’ in US west

The Guardian
As a national debate swirls around statues of Confederate officials, a new battle is brewing in the western US over the fate of monuments glorifying the brutal Spanish conquest of

Armed vigilantes under scrutiny after statue protester shot in New Mexico

The Guardian
Officials are scrutinizing armed vigilante groups in New Mexicofollowing the shooting of a protester calling for the removal of a controversial colonial statue. Police are examining whether the shooter belonged

Inside the Border Security Expo, Where Companies Sell Surveillance Tech to CBP

VICE
On demo day at the Border Security Expo, hundreds of law enforcement agents armed with M16s, automatic shotguns, pistols, and other high powered and military-grade weapons strolled around the grounds

X marks the spot: treasure hunters in shock after reported $2m find in Rocky Mountains

The Guardian
Treasure hunters have reacted with shock, delight and disbelief to the news that a chest containing gems, gold and antiques worth up to $2m has reportedly been found in the

US south-west in grip of historic ‘megadrought’, research finds

The Guardian
Intensified by climate change, the current 20-year arid period is one of the worst on record, with wide-ranging effectsThe Enterprise Bridge passes over a section of Lake Oroville that is

Not a mask in sight’: thousands flock to Yellowstone as park reopens

The Guardian
On Monday, thousands of visitors from across the country descended on Yellowstone national park, which opened for the first time since its closure in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Why This Woman Chooses to Live in a Ghost Town

Outside Magazine
Inside a refurbished schoolhouse in a ghost town on New Mexico’s rural eastern plains, Debra Dawson sits on the side of her bed. “Some people call me a crazy cat

US national park reopenings raise fears of coronavirus outbreaks

The Guardian
On Wednesday, Zion national park in Utah, one of the most popular natural attractions in the US, received its first visitors in more than a month as the Trump administration

Pandemic fears in border towns as workers flock in to build Trump’s wall

The Guardian
Unlike the rest of the US, the sleepy border community of Ajo, Arizona, is busier than ever these days, as hundreds of border wall construction workers pass through each day.

Publications Featuring the Work of Samuel N. Gilbert

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