AP immigration team adds multiformat journalist in El Paso

Cedar Attanasio, a multiformat journalist with international reporting experience, is joining The Associated Press to cover immigration from El Paso, Texas.

Attanasio will work closely with the AP's immigration team across Texas, the U.S. and Mexico to report breaking news and create distinctive enterprise exploring political, humanitarian and legal issues along the border during his nine-month assignment.

"Cedar is a talented all-formats journalist who has an impressive track record covering breaking news, politics and immigration, which are all top priorities for the AP in our news coverage this year," said Josh Hoffner, the AP's news editor for national beats. "We are especially thrilled to have Cedar join the AP team at a time when immigration and border security are such newsworthy topics in the El Paso area."

Attanasio is a New Mexico native who speaks Spanish and Portuguese and is adept at video and still photography. He covered events surrounding the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as a freelance journalist and has worked for the Latin Times, Hearst Connecticut Media and the New York Post.

He is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in geography and Spanish.

Attanasio will start with the AP later this month.