Caravans "made (migration) visible." I covered the migrant caravans setting out from Central America 7 years ago. They brought the immigration crisis to light for many in North America. But crackdowns and the arrival of a second Trump term has thrown immigration back into the shadows. My story:

Caravans "made (migration) visible." I covered the migrant caravans setting out from Central America 7 years ago. They brought the immigration crisis to light for many in North America. But crackdowns and the arrival of a second Trump term has thrown immigration back into the shadows. My story:

Immigration lawyers say those deported to Ukraine could be conscripted to fight in the war, contrary to international laws that prohibit deportations to places where people could face violence. n.pr/4r7dRp1

I've been saying for 10 months that the U.S. political system was starting to remind me of Guatemala and El Salvador, two countries I extensively covered. (don't ask about my anxieties over this) This is a great comparison of the factors that led to the co-oping of the state apparatuses.

The House voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve a measure that would require the Department of Justice to release files regarding the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The measure passed by a vote of 427 to 1.

For hours this morning, survivors stood on the steps of the Capitol and begged Congress to do the right thing for the young women and girls who were silenced by the very institutions meant to protect them. Today, I voted yes to release the Epstein files because survivors deserve nothing less.

Chat, is this good

Breaking: Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional gerrymander in 2026 midterms.

Whoa: A federal court just barred Texas from using its new congressional map, drawn by the GOP to target Dems. "Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map." Court says the old map must be used in 2026. Appeals are certain. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"But when the Trump Administration reframed its request as a demand to redistrict congressional seats based on their racial makeup, Texas lawmakers immediately jumped on board." — Trump appointee Jeffrey V. Brown, writing for a 3-judge panel storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A federal court in Texas has blocked the states efforts to push through redistricting that would favor the Trump administration. They have ordered that the maps be reverted to the 2021 maps. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"I hope people see that the church is really together on this, from the Pope on down to bishops." I spoke with El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz about the Special Pastoral Message decrying the expanding crackdown on immigrants in the United States. He said the message was not confrontational, but a call.

The train that runs between Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez once saw thousands of migrants riding north towards the U.S.-Mexico border. Today few migrants are riding the trains, a sign that migrants are taking more clandestine routes in hopes of reaching the border. My story for The El Paso Times:

Katie Wilson looks poised to become Seattle’s next mayor.

Katie Wilson has been elected Seattle's next mayor www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Guatemalan migrants again have sent home a historic amount of money in a single month. In October alone, migrants sent back $2.390 billion as remittances. So far this year migrants have sent home more than all of last year, and there are still two months to go. Going to reach $25 to $26 billion.

BREAKING: DOJ goes to SCOTUS trying to stop a district court order that USDA pay out full SNAP benefits this month. The First Circuit denied an administrative stay, but has not yet ruled on the stay request. And, CNN reported that USDA is already processing payments. DOJ went to SCOTUS anyway.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, has issued another letter to Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem over concerns about the conditions at the Camp East Montana ICE immigrant detention center. She is also requesting information about the number of people held there. My story:

"These are not normal times" U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso told me earlier today in an interview talking about the continued government shutdown. Here is my story from our interview today:

NEW: Trump has announced that the US will admit the lowest level of refugees ever at 7,500 in FY 2026. The US will only be admitting as refugees White people from South Africa and "victims of illegal or unjust discrimination," which leaked memos suggest means far-right Europeans.

"It does feel like a death by a thousand paper cuts." The detaining of two DACA recipients in El Paso County over the summer has caused fear for other recipients along the border. They fear more attacks are to come. My story for the El Paso Times:

"It does feel like a death by a thousand paper cuts." The detaining of two DACA recipients in El Paso County over the summer has caused fear for other recipients along the border. They fear more attacks are to come. My story for the El Paso Times:

“Over 170 U.S. Citizens are being arrested. Why? Because they look like me,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California said, referencing our reporting. “Or because they are suspected to not be a U.S. citizen, or because they are suspected of crimes they have not committed.”

Guatemala’s far-right has used Darth Vader and images of the empire to undermine democracy for years. These attacks have largely come from an anonymous Twitter account that used Darth Vader as an icon and is called “yes master.” So… it’s a thing for anti democratic actors

Great story by my friend John Washington who interviewed Rosalina Tuyuc, who is one of the greatest advocates for finding the disappeared in Guatemala and a wonderful person. And funny story, I lived next to the San Juan Comalapa cemetery for two years. My black cat, Paxil, was the cemetery cat.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the 1944 Guatemalan revolution that brought down the dictatorship of Jorge Ubico. The revolution ushered in the 10 years of the democratic "spring," which saw progressive changes to the country. The 1954 CIA backed coup d'etat ended the experiment.

I'm going to re-up a story I did during the first Trump administration. The reality today is that the United States needs to learn from Latin America... There are decades and centuries of resistance to learn from as the U.S. marches towards authoritarianism.

his summer, I went to Panama and met Jharana, a 33-year-old from Nepal who had been deported there in a group of 300 others — the 1st group to be sent to a third country. I wrote about what happened to her and others over the year for @nymag.com --> nymag.com/intelligence...

NEWS: ICE gave a Rogers Park man a $130 ticket for not having his papers on him. They rounded him up last week and eventually let him go, but not without a fine that some critics say is un-American. Trump admin enforcing little-used law www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/13/i...

We at the El Paso Times have new updated photos of the East Montana ICE detention facility. It has massively expanded since we published the first photos back in August. The office of U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar told me there over 2,000 immigrants detained there*. www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/i...

We at the El Paso Times have new updated photos of the East Montana ICE detention facility. It has massively expanded since we published the first photos back in August. The office of U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar told me there over 2,000 immigrants detained there*. www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/i...

Yesterday Guatemala received the first third country deportees from the United States. The news broke late last night.

Peru’s Congress overwhelmingly voted to remove Peru’s President, Dina Boluarte. She was plagued by massive corruption scandals and had lost support.

A delegation led by Bishop Mark Seitz traveled from El Paso to the Vatican to deliver letters from immigrants in the United States to Pope Leo XIV expressing fear of Trump’s expanding immigration crackdown. Here is my story.

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Guatemalan migrants living abroad sent home $2.106 billion in Sept. 2025 as remittances. This continues the trend we have seen this year, as migrants send home more money each month to support their families. Their economy relies on this money. This year we will likely see $25 billion sent home.

24,576 pounds of cheddar cheese to Food Bank for the Heartland in Nebraska; 270,000 eggs to Harvest Hope Food Bank in South Carolina; 4,640 pounds of chicken legs to Maui Food Bank in Hawaii --> just some of the food aid canceled by Trump projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...

A federal judge in El Paso has ordered the immediate release of Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago from ICE detention. The immigration rights activist and DACA recipient has been detained since Aug. 3. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Efraín Fueres, an Indigenous land defender, was shot and killed in Ecuador on Sunday while marching in protest of high living costs and government crackdowns on Indigenous and environmental activists. 🧵 insideclimatenews.org/news/2909202...

"With an apology, the wounds will never heal." Mexico's former top immigration official made his first public apology for the fire in an immigration facility in Juárez that left 40 migrants dead and 27 other injured. The apology is part of his ploy to avoid charges for the fire. My story:

"The United States would not be what it is if it were not for the Mexican women and men who work on the other side of the border." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shared the successes of her first year yesterday in Juárez, taking the time to celebrate Mexican migrants in the U.S. My story:

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be presenting the report of her first 11 months in office this afternoon in Ciudad Juárez. I’ll have a story for the El Paso Times at some point today. Thousands have gathered at the Juárez Vice baseball stadium for her appearance.

🚨NEW: For the first time in history, the single largest group of people arrested in the interior and sent to ICE detention is people with NO criminal record. As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges.

News is now reporting that two "detainees" were killed. Unclear whether that means people who were actively being transported or whether that means it was people going to the ICE Field Office for a check-in who got shot going into the building.

A judge in El Paso, Texas is considering a habeas petition challenging the continued detention of Catalina "Xochitl" Santiago, an immigrant rights advocate and DACA recipient in El Paso. The DHS laywer's arguments today highlighted the Trump administrations attempts to detain DACA recipients.

A judge in El Paso, Texas is considering a habeas petition challenging the continued detention of Catalina "Xochitl" Santiago, an immigrant rights advocate and DACA recipient in El Paso. The DHS laywer's arguments today highlighted the Trump administrations attempts to detain DACA recipients.

I was just notified of ANOTHER death in ICE custody — the 16th since Trump took office. The second death TODAY. This is absolutely unacceptable.

I just had Claude help me write a Python script to query the Deportation Data Project's enormous "ICE encounters" file since Oct 2023. Here is everyone who had a "departure date" listed, which seems to indicate deportations. Total is 117,339 from 1/21-7/28, which seems very close to correct?