Paulina Villegas

Washington D.C.

Reporter covering breaking and national news.

Education: Columbia University, M.S. in Journalism

Paulina Villegas is a General Assignment reporter covering national and breaking news. Previously, she worked at the New York Times' Mexico and Central America bureau, where her work focused on drug crime, government corruption and human rights issues. Her work on the TV documentary “El Chapo’s Son: The Siege of Culiacán,” was awarded a News and Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in 2020. She has reported from more than a dozen countries in Latin America.
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Latest from Paulina Villegas

Ukraine live briefing: Russia says Western sanctions won’t stop it from moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus

E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threatened sanctions after Russia's Vladimir Putin announced that Belarus would host Russian tactical nuclear weapons.

March 27, 2023

Ukraine live briefing: Russia has ‘high’ expectations for Xi Jinping’s visit, Putin says, and is open to a diplomatic resolution to the war

Russian leader Vladimir Putin's trip to Mariupol and Crimea, announced by his office, comes after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.

March 19, 2023

These companies were affected by the Silicon Valley Bank crash

The bank’s collapse raised concerns about whether companies would be able to get their money back and pay their employees.

March 13, 2023

At least 8 dead as suspected human smuggling boats capsize off San Diego

An official calls the capsizing of two fishing boats off San Diego's coast ‘one of the worst maritime smuggling tragedies that I can think of in California.’

March 12, 2023

What we know about Matamoros and the kidnapped Americans

Four U.S. citizens crossed the border in search of cheaper medicines, Mexico's president said, when they were caught in a case of mistaken identity.

March 7, 2023

Two of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico are found dead

Latavia “Tay” McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams were abducted at gunpoint last week by unidentified assailants in Matamoros.

March 7, 2023

Toll from Turkey-Syria quake tops 34,000; U.N. says it ‘failed’ Syria

Hopes waned that more survivors might be pulled from the rubble and the United Nations said aid efforts had “failed” the people of northwest Syria.

February 12, 2023

Turkey-Syria quake live briefing: Turkey investigates building contractors as death toll mounts to 33,000

Some operations in Syria shifted their focus to recovering bodies and helping displaced people. A U.N. official said the world had "failed" northwestern Syria.

February 12, 2023

Turkey and Syria mourn quake victims as death toll tops 15,000

Rescue workers are looking for people still trapped under the rubble as Gaziantep, in southern Turkey, recorded below-freezing temperatures overnight.

February 9, 2023

Turkish residents struggle to access Twitter in earthquake aftermath

The government has a history of cracking down on social media giants after emergencies or scandals.

February 8, 2023