Here my comments last night with Univision in Spanish. youtu.be/sFxHwluviVQ?...

AU Thought Leader: Ernesto Castañeda Sociology professor @drernestocast.bsky.social is making the invisible visible in today’s immigration debates—combining lived experience, research, and human stories to inform policy and reduce polarization. Learn more: www.american.edu/research/new...

@austinkocher.com "talks about record-high detention— 65,735 people as of Nov 30, how migrants are often moved by buses & flights from detention facilities to those far from their homes, which makes it difficult for families to visit & for their lawyers to track them fox5sandiego.com/news/border-...

As ICE expands its reach under renewed federal directives, scholars say that the crackdown on immigrants is altering the foundations of community trust, mental health, and democratic rule. Read more:

A new Telemundo survey finds Latino belonging plummeting amid racial profiling, mass detentions, and a fading American Dream. Experts say anti-immigrant policies are driving fear. Read more:

For many migrants, faith is a source of hope and courage on dangerous journeys and a lifeline after arrival. Religious spaces become anchors of support and belonging. Read more:

Immigrants in the D.C. area face steep barriers to work—from unrecognized degrees and visa limits to discrimination and lack of networks. Employment isn’t just a job; it’s dignity and belonging. Read more:

Still relevant post from 2024 by @austinkocher.com theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/growi...

Migrants play a vital role in addressing labor shortages, supporting key industries, and driving innovation and economic growth. Yet, many face barriers: insecurity, unfair treatment, and exploitation. Read more:

“And they say, we are the violent ones.” This cartoon by Galen Moore shows how state-imposed violence shapes our daily lives, urging us to confront the systemic harm we’re taught to overlook. Read more:

The Second Ku Klux Klan used Lost Cause memory and public culture to legitimize white supremacy between 1915-1930. Its influence grew briefly but collapsed due to scandals and shifting ideas of American identity. Read more:

🚨 NOW OPEN: Spring 2025 Applications! 🚨 The Immigration Lab is recruiting more Research Interns, Digital Communications & Events Interns, and Volunteers 📅 Priority Deadline: January 1st 🌎 Multilingual applicants encouraged to apply Learn more & apply here 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/cdzetoayly

Read more about the Safe Third Country Agreement (Tercer País Seguro) at https://www.dw.com/es/acuerdo-migratorio-con-ee-uu-podría-ser-positivo-para-belice/a-74478665

Though, the arrests of Mexicans in the interior has grown since January 2025, largely about individuals settled for years, with jobs, and U.S.-citizen family members.

This Thursday @danielmendelsohn.bsky.social at American University @theimmigrationlab.bsky.social

"Realidades de la inmigración: ¿Cómo entender y desafiar los mitos sobre los migrantes?" Cátedra Norbert Lechner de la Universidad Diego Portales. catedranorbertlechner.udp.cl/conferencia/...

A deeply disturbing plan, but one thing important to clarify here is that these contracts would be for skiptracing, i.e. establishing locations, and NOT for carrying out arrests. So this would not see private contractors grabbing people — although it could mean contractors surveilling immigrants.

Documented or not, Latinos are changing habits during ICE crackdown An immigration attorney in Austin, said the majority of her clients are “living in fear.”

Most Latinos keep self-identifying as Democratic voters. Most blame Republicans for the shutdown, feel the negative effects of economic & immigration policies on their families. Over 11% of bilingual Latinos who voted for Trump already regret it after less than 10 months back in government.

Our Dia de los Muertos Event was a success! Thank you for joining us as we learned about the holiday and its many traditions, while enjoying churros and Abuelita hot chocolate. Another thank you to those who shared their stories on our ofrenda 🧡🌼

Applications for the Spring semester sessioin are open! Visit https://f.mtr.cool/usgairlbmg to apply before January 1st.

Come join us at the Public Anthropology Conference where we will present our findings from the Immigration DMV project!

Thank you to all who joined Ernesto Castañeda's talk to better "Understand Immigration Realities;"  Let’s keep the conversation going on International Migration!   Be on the lookout for a recording of the talk out soon on our podcast: "Immigration Realities."

Migrants face unique mental health challenges—trauma, fear, and exclusion—but too often remain invisible in care systems. This #WorldMentalHealthDay, we affirm that mental health for all means migrants too. Read more:

📣 Understanding Immigration! Join Dr. Castañeda for an in-depth discussion on today’s immigration realities. He will examine key trends, challenges, and the social, political, and cultural factors shaping immigration in the U.S. October 15th, 3:30 - 5:00 PM, Hall of Science T07

Undoc immigrants are less likely to use social programs than the native-born because they aren't eligible or chose not to use them. For evidence, see Ch 5 in "Immigration Realities." On the history and effects of excluding undocumented people from Obamacare and healthcare, see Joseph's "Not All In."

ICYMI We wrote on October 30, 2024, about the potential influences of Project 2025 on immigration policy if Trump were to win. Many recommendations have already been implemented. Read more here: "Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project & Immigration" https://f.mtr.cool/vxgpbqaajd

I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.

"many — including some who voted for the president — say they're alarmed about the use of tactics such as masked immigration agents making arrests and U.S.-born Latinos being arrested."

Another victim of Dallas shooting has passed: Mr. García-Hernández. "An official with ICE identified the three victims of the shooting as Mr. García-Hernández, Jose Andres Bordones-Molina of Venezuela and Norlan Guzman-Fuentes of El Salvador. Family members of Mr. Guzman-Fuentes said he was killed."

We have written many reports on the economic contributions of immigrants. Sometimes we get valid criticism about reducing people to their labor. Interestingly many of the immigrants we have been interviewing in NYC & DC say that themselves in their effort to show they matter, hear Marshall Plane.

Inside Family Detention with Javier Hidalgo and Faisal Al-Juburi from RAICES Texas Join me on Tuesday Oct 7 at 1:00 pm EST for an in-depth conversation about the harsh realities of family detention and how immigrant rights organizations are responding. austinkocher.substack.com/p/inside-fam...

This book is great to practice your Spanish. Factual and informative book written in a clear, straightforward fashion and read clearly and slowly by a voice professional with a neutral accent.

This coming Tuesday!

Given the deportation quotas and aggressive detentions by ICE, all Latinos are suspect. It does not matter if they are citizens, conservative, or voted for Trump; they may be racially profiled, stopped, and even detained -As I told Cesar Miguel Rondon in this video in Spanish.

Talk by Mexican Anthropologist and CLALS Research Fellow Federico Besserer. September 17, 2025. American University, Washington, DC.

Talk by Mexican Anthropologist and CLALS Research Fellow Federico Besserer. September 17, 2025. American University, Washington, DC.

Classroom “safe spaces” are more complex than they appear. Co-ethnic dynamics, language, and hidden hierarchies shape learning. Read more here:

For Afghan migrants in the US, acculturation is more than learning a new language and celebrating their traditions. It is also about navigating legal precarity and confronting exclusion, while holding hope. Read more here: https://theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/what-does-it-mean-to-belong

The current administration is copying the authoritarian playbook by using the language of security to justify power grabs. Regimes built on this basis always become far more dangerous than the real or fabricated threats they promise to quash. https://theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/faustian-bargain

We ask whether someone’s movement is legal or illegal, allowed or forbidden. We debate thresholds and quotas, risks and threats. Rarely do we ask the more human question: Does a person have the right to move freely? Read more here: https://theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/the-first-freedom

"A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona" and many other wonderful books from Stanford University Press are 50% off until September 8. www.sup.org/books/sociol...

The lawsuits against Alligator Alcatraz show the opposition against extreme Republican immigration policies. The judge ruled in favor of protecting alligators etc (rather than the people) but strategy worked. DeSantis knew this was expensive & temporary & is already preparing another facility north.

"Many saw the benefits of being able to walk the streets without fear of being targeted by the gangs as worth the few innocent people that were wrongly detained for life with no due process, even with the chance that the army could take other people like them in the future."

In the Everglades, the new detention camp, “Alligator Alcatraz,” faces local opposition. Environmentalists warn of ecological harm, the Miccosukee Tribe defends their land, and immigrant advocates decry inhumane conditions. Read more:

As of 8/17/25 "> 40% of the roughly 300 arrests reported by the White House targeted undocumented immigrants." Stephen "Miller’s presence at police headquarters...highlighted how much the 1st week of the federal takeover has focused on immigration enforcement." www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

In the 80s activists, church & city leaders sought to effect change coalescing into the Sanctuary Movement. The goal was to change US policy. As 1 said in 1985 through “Sanctuary... folks can, number 1, be safe from the fear of death & 2 speak out as to what is really going on in Central America.”

Presentaremos el audiolibro en México el 2 de septiembre en la Feria Universitaria del Libro. @jenksd.bsky.social www.uaeh.edu.mx/ful/2025/ind...

“This scenario [of disinformation and securitization] directly applies to the issue of the US-Mexico border. Heavy investment in surveillance and enforcement infrastructure has led to additional challenges, such as increased migrant mortality.”

🚨NOW OPEN: Fall 2025 Applications!🚨 The Immigration Lab is looking for passionate Research Interns, Digital Communications & Events Interns, and Volunteers to join our team. Apply here 👉 theimmigrationlab.org/join-us