Thomas Franklin Publishes Photo Essay

Thomas Franklin, Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Media, recently published the latest installment of a story and photo essay he’s been working on for four years on the local humanitarian side of the immigration issue in TAPintoNewark.

The publication tells the story of Danny Castro who was deported to Nicaragua in 2018. He was taken into custody by Newark Police during a routine traffic stop and later turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) in violation of Newark’s own Sanctuary City pledge to protect undocumented residents with no criminal history. At the time of his arrest, he had a newborn child and planned to marry his fiancee, Kassandra Serrano. The couple was sharing an apartment in Newark.

Castro had not seen his family in over four years but spoke on WhatsApp daily. His son, 4-year-old Ismael is autistic and non-verbal, and the interaction was minimal. The calls only made Castro’s separation feel worse.

The family was ultimately reunited right before Christmas, allowing them to spend the holiday together.

Professor Franklin is an award-winning photographer, multimedia journalist, and educator. He joined Montclair State in 2015 after nearly 30-years in the news industry, including 23-years at The Record and Northjersey.com, where his photography and multimedia work has been nationally recognized by POYi, NPPA, SPJ. Franklin’s independent work has been published worldwide including publications such as The Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today.

He is best known for photographs taken at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. His iconic image of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag above the rubble of the World Trade Center following the attacks is one of the most widely recognized images in history and was featured on the USPS’s Heroes stamp, generating over $10 million for those affected by 9/11. In 2002, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 9/11 photo.