Interstate 35 cuts right through the nation’s heartland. New York Times reporter Damien Cave travelled the length of the highway to find out how immigration is affecting the interior states of the U.S.

 Damien Cave became a correspondent for The New York Times’ Mexico City bureau in January 2011. He is based in Mexico City where he covers Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Previously, Mr. Cave had been chief of The Times’ Miami bureau since March 2008.  Before that, Mr. Cave served as a correspondent for The Times’ Baghdad bureau from July 2006 to December 2007. Since joining The Times in 2004, Mr. Cave has covered a wide range of topics, including military recruiting, New York City government and New Jersey politics. Before coming to The Times, he was a staff writer and editor at Rolling Stone and Salon.com. A graduate of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and Boston College, Mr. Cave grew up in Worcester, Mass.

Photo by Todd Heisler/The New York Times