Molly O'Toole

Journalist & Author

Molly O’Toole is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. She has worked and written for The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic’s Defense One, The Washington Post, The New Republic, the Associated Press, and Reuters, among other news organizations.

O'Toole was awarded the first-ever Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting in 2020 for an episode of This American Life, uncovering the frontlines of the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico”, or MPP, asylum policy.

Featured Work

Left to Right: Molly O'Toole, Estuardo Cifuentes, Emily Shechtman, Kate Clark. Credit: Bryan Goldberg Photography.

APR 23, 2025 Video

The State of Migration in 2025: Balancing Values and Interests at the International and Local Levels

This event examined the state of migration in 2025 at the international & local levels, featuring discussions led by Senior Fellow Michael Doyle and journalist Molly O'Toole.

U.S./Mexico border at Border Field State Park/Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, 2014. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/15999598736">Tony Webster</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>

JUN 24, 2020 Podcast

"Remain in Mexico" & Immigration Policy in 2020, with Molly O'Toole

Molly O'Toole, immigration and security reporter at the "Los Angeles Times," discusses Trump's "Remain in Mexico" asylum policy and its many ethical and legal issues. ...

MAY 6, 2014 Podcast

The Invisible Casualties Of America's Longest Wars

Did you know that one in three U.S. women veterans has been sexually assaulted? In 2013, even with about 85 percent of the assaults going unreported, ...