Beenish Ahmed
Local Impact BeatBeenish Ahmed is Michigan Public's Local Impact reporter, focusing on how decisions made at the state and federal level affect local communities and populations.
Her reporting has covered high-profile protest cases at the University of Michigan, oversight concerns within the Michigan State Police, the impact of federal funding disruptions on youth programs and food assistance, and community responses to global conflicts and immigration enforcement. Ahmed’s journalism centers on accountability and the lived experiences behind public policy, with a focus on under-reported communities and the real-world consequences of government decisions.
She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. She was also a Spencer Fellow at the Columbia School of Journalism in New York, and an NPR Kroc Fellow.
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The ACLU of Michigan put in a request last week for records relating to an artificial intelligence program used by the state's health and human services agency to make sure that SNAP benefit payments were accurate. -
A federal court judge has dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former University of Michigan diversity officer who claimed to have been wrongfully fired. -
A Detroit family of undocumented immigrants self-deported to Venezuela after a parent was detained in the U.S. Two weeks after they landed, two massive earthquakes devastated the area.
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An asylum-seeking mother returned to Venezuela after months in immigration detention. Just weeks after her husband and children joined her, the region where they were restarting their lives was devastated by two of the worst earthquakes in Latin American history. -
"I didn't go and fight extremists to have them on our doorstep here,” said Congressman John James, who served as helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army during the War in Iraq. “Under no circumstances will we be a home in Michigan for extremism.” -
Back home after three months in immigration detention, a Colombian asylum seeker named Juan Pablo Quivano said he was worried that his child might not be a U.S. citizen, if the Supreme Court decided to do away with “birthright citizenship.” -
Over the last year, members have been convening “circles” of immigrants across the state to better understand what legislative proposals they see as most important to create their platform. -
After Hector Marin’s wife, Osmary Garcia, was arrested by immigration officers, he worried that the same thing could happen to him – leaving the couple’s six children to fend for themselves. He didn't know where to turn, until he remembered a flier for a Detroit Public Schools Community District staff person who was helping immigrant families navigate the immigration system in the wake of increased enforcement. -
Representatives joined water access advocates on Tuesday to draw attention to a bill re-introduced in April that would create a permanent fund for help with water bills. -
"Not only was I not aware (of the indictment)” Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said. “But as soon as I saw it, I asked the FBI for a briefing, and they responded that it was an ongoing investigation and they could not (offer a briefing)."
