Ernesto Castañeda

@drernestocast.bsky.social

9K followers 1.9K following 2.4K posts

Director, The Immigration Lab; & The Center for Latin American & Latino Studies; Full Professor, Sociology, American University, DC. Immigration and the politics of the possible. Author of multiple books & articles. Public scholar. .. more

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Political science 36%

Sociology 30%

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Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · Nov 11

"Immigration Realities" is a thorough, research-based #analysis that debunks widespread #myths surrounding #immigration. Its well-supported #insights make it valuable for readers interested in a thoughtful public #dialogue @columbiaup.bsky.social Review here:
www.populismstudies.org/immigration-...

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · Nov 11

Get beyond myths and lies and learn about Immigration Realities.
www.amazon.com/Immigration-...
@columbiaup.bsky.social

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Ernesto Castañeda

MPR News @mprnews.org · 7h

“We had to deliver them to a detention center,” principal Jason Kuhlman said about the second grader and fifth grader.

‘I don’t have words’: 2 more kids from Liam Ramos’ Columbia Heights school taken into ICE custody

The children were taken into ICE custody after their mother was detained at a court appointment. School leaders say the mother asked them to bring the kids to the detention center because there were n...

www.mprnews.org

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 8h

January 28, 2026. “Junta de Paz Creada y Presidida por Trump.” El Noticiero. Canal 6. San Salvador, El Salvador.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-MB...

El Salvador se une a la Junta de la Paz

YouTube video by AU CLALS

www.youtube.com

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 10h

You mean we want Miller and all DHS leaders gone, and immigration regularization for all here by December 2025?

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 13h

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

MWWIR - Immigration and Urban Vitality: How Newcomers Make Cities Strong

Join MWWIR for a discussion with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. Date and Time: Friday, January 30th at 12:00pm (ET) Locat...

docs.google.com

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 13h

I will be speaking tomorrow at the Metropolitan Washington Workshop on Immigration and Race. Because of the snow and cold, the event will now take place virtually this Friday, January 30th, at 12:00 pm (ET). All welcome.
Register here for this conversation on immigration and urban health

Reposted by Joseph Schafer, Ernesto Castañeda

Senator Jacky Rosen @rosen.senate.gov · 14h

Marco Rubio has many titles, except when it’s time to take accountability. He may be the Secretary of State, but Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are negotiating with foreign leaders behind his back. When did the Senate confirm them as our representatives on the world stage?

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

"The term paramilitary is used in two ways 1) highly militarized police forces, which are an official part of a nation’s security forces with access to military-grade weaponry & equipment. 2) Less formal & often more partisan armed groups that operate outside of the state’s regular security sector."

Why this matters
An extensive body of research shows that more militarized forms of policing are associated with higher rates of police violence and rights violations, without reducing crime or improving officer safety.

Studies have also found that more militarized police forces are harder to reform than less-militarized law enforcement agencies. The use of such forces can also create tensions with both the regular military and civilian police, as currently appears to be happening with ICE in Minneapolis.

The ways in which federal immigration forces in the United States resemble informal paramilitaries in other countries – operating with less effective oversight, less competent recruits and increasingly entrenched partisan identity – make all these issues more intractable. Which is why, I believe, many commentators have surfaced the term paramilitary and are using it as a warning.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

Donald Trump's immigration policy is already affecting population growth in the United States. This is indicated by a recent census report, which notes a significant deceleration in population growth rates over the last year.

youtu.be/uTPDLq3VwSo?...

Reposted by Raúl Pacheco-Vega

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

"According to data compiled by the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project, from the time Trump took office last January, to July 29, ICE made approximately 138,000 arrests nationwide — almost a quarter of them in Texas." www.tpr.org/news/2026-01...

As immigration officials ramp up migrant arrests in Texas, new tactics emerge

Texas immigration advocates say federal agents are trying new tactics to arrest more migrants amid a surge in immigration enforcement.

www.tpr.org

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

Tx Gov. Greg Abbott against excesses in Minnesota but bussed people live packages, houses many innocent migrant detainees, including 5 y-o Liam Conejo Ramos in Dilley, Texas, where agents gassed protectors and media today and 1/2 #ICE out of everywhere.

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Melanie C. Green, Nicole Guenther Discenza , and 4 more Rebecca Solnit, Melanie C. Green, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Manisha Sinha, Colin Woodard, Ernesto Castañeda, David Darmofal

Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 1d

Just visited with Liam and his father at Dilley detention center. I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Mariana Mazzucato, Stephen M. Walt , and 174 more Anne Applebaum, Mariana Mazzucato, Stephen M. Walt, Michael E. Mann, Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit, Archon Fung, Nandita Sharma, Matthew Bunn, Nancy Kanwisher, Yadvinder Malhi, Michael Wagner, John T. Jost, Stephan Lewandowsky, Robbert Sanderman, David M. Schultz, Simon Burgess, Marco Festa‐Bianchet, David M. Farrell, Will Jennings, Ashish Arora, Peter Thorne, Martin J. Attrill, Jesse M. Shapiro, Christina C. Hicks, Richard Betts, Richard J. Butler, Mattias Hallquist, Patrick A. Jansen, Jonathan A. Foley, Michael T. Meyer, Joshua S. Weitz, John R. Hutchinson, Mieke Van Houtte, Steve Peers, John McLaren, Andrew Watt, Andreas Ortmann, Tim Bale, Tom Shakespeare, Mark D. White, Steven S. Smith, Jill Marshall, Rosemary A. Joyce, Caroline Krafft, Jürgen Maier, Leigh Sparks, Marina Jirotka, David Rothschild, Martin Gaynor, Elizabeth Stokoe, Melissa Johnson, Vincent Tiberj, Michael J. Allen, Rupert Read, Christian E. Weller, Ian M. Kinchin, Dawn J. Wright, Joseph Schafer, Hester Blum, Markus Jäntti, Anders Nilsson, Alison Phipps, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Ramón López Facal, Gerard H. Kuper, Libby Robin, David S. Cohen, Joni Lovenduski, Alan Stewart, Patrick Walsh, Sanford F. Schram, Kevin Carey, Shelly Lundberg, Inderjeet Parmar, Göran Bolin, Jussi T. Eronen, Marta Mìrazón Lahr, Raffaella Ravinetto, Smith, Peter Schöttler, Andrew Leyshon, Melanie C. Green, Janet Murray, Steven High, David R. Miller, Robert Wolfe, Duncan Bell, Jesús Rodríguez Pomeda, Patrick Svensson, Wilson McLeod, Stephen D. Murphy, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Fabio Giglietto, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, Todd Pugatch, Howard Stevenson, Stephen Ryan, Elizabeth Stevenson, Michael D. McDonald, Anne Norton, Josef Früchtl, Manuel Puppis, Graeme Warren, Talia Schaffer, Graham Dutfield, Marco Haan, Antoine Bernard de Raymond, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Paul Fisher, Michelle Williams, Alberto Corsín Jiménez, Christian Fisch, Lisa Diedrich, Nicola Carr, Enrique Fatás, Philipp Sarasin, Jessica Silbey, Feargal Cochrane, Stuart White, Mary Jane Curry, Susan Strasser, Marko Lindroos, Claire L. Adida, Sharon Erickson Nepstad, Caterina Froio, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, Patrick Meier, Vaughan S. Roberts, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Ryan K. Brook, Florian Keusch, Andrew Rudalevige, Olivier Jourdan, Hisham Zerriffi, Sean P. Corcoran, Patrick Stokes, Cullen S. Hendrix, Jon Dean, Eric J. Sundquist, Guillaume Allègre, Eric J. Segall, Melanie O’Brien, Jason A. Heppler, Karen O’Leary, Uwe M. Martens, Alexander Woywodt, Thomas D. Carroll, David S. Tanenhaus, Kate Jackson, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Mary McAuliffe, Aviel Roshwald, Pepper D. Culpepper, Émilien Ruiz, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Ryan Calo, Jaap Kooijman, Aidan O’Sullivan, Dan Immergluck, Jeannette Sutton, Fiona Armstrong, Beth Tellman, Lorna Hughes, Ernesto Castañeda, David Spurrett, Dunlap, Stuart Shapiro, David Darmofal, Lars Gamfeldt

Bruce Springsteen @brucespringsteen.net · 1d

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

youtu.be

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

Be mindful of AI, not the wisest advice!

Mistress Usili (Sage) 🏳️‍⚧️ @usili.bsky.social · 2d

Bilbo looking at his phone top

on bottom is ChatGPT

After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?

You're absolutely right — you found it, it's been with you a long while, and it's only natural to feel fond of something that's served you so well, especially when someone like Gandalf suddenly seems to want it for himself.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 1d

-The border was not "open" during the Biden administration.
-There used to be a bipartisan consensus on ICE and CBP; it's time for that to end.
Immigration is not a threat to the "homeland," the opposite, it is the USA's secret sauce.

Emily Farris @emayfarris.bsky.social · 1d

Where exactly is the collapse in immigration enforcement during the Democratic administrations?

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

Emily Farris @emayfarris.bsky.social · 1d

Where exactly is the collapse in immigration enforcement during the Democratic administrations?

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Daniel W. Drezner, Brian Keegan , and 2 more Shannon Vallor, Daniel W. Drezner, Brian Keegan, Olivier Mannoni, Ernesto Castañeda

Anthony L. Fisher @anthonylfisher.bsky.social · 2d

I'm sure the heterodox civility cops will be all over this one

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Sanford F. Schram, John Collins , and 9 more Joe R. Feagin, Sanford F. Schram, John Collins, Daniel W. Drezner, Melanie C. Green, Alan Richardson, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, Greg Linden, Steven P. Vallas, Kevin Grant, Ernesto Castañeda, David Darmofal

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 2d

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., rolls out his demand for supporting a DHS appropriations bill: fire Stephen Miller

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

*The "Reagan" Amnesty/IRCA/The Simpson-Mazzoli Act was signed into law in 1986, but it was conceived and negotiated much before. Academia and the Catholic Church played an important role getting it rolling.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

Reforms needed for ICE, CBP, HSI, DHS

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

They created a monster. Stephen Miller cannot pretend to bring the genie back into the bottle.
Trmp, Vance, The Millers, Noem, Homan, Bovino, Corey Lewandowski, Abbott, DeSantis are all guilty of anti-immigrant & anti-citizen violence. They all need to go for things to improve for all US residents.

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 2d

Katie Miller tweeting out Stephen’s comments casting blame on CBP. Comes after reporting of Noem shifting blame to Miller.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

It White Christian Nationalist sick pseudo-ideology "In defending the undocumented, Good violated the sanctity of The Homeland, which is to say that she questioned the divine promise of American soil to a mythical and singular people."

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

"In the wake of Renee Good’s killing, Trump & his collaborators have done all they can to define her as an enemy of “The Homeland,” a “domestic terrorist,” a term also applied to Alex Pretti. This rhetoric is employed to justify the state taking life, by associating the dead with national villainy."

Vanity Fair @vanityfair.com · 3d

Ta-Nehisi Coates: With the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, "Trump has clarified an inconvenient fact—the culture war is an actual war"

“The Homeland” Is War on America: The Blood-and-Soil Nationalism That Killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti

In the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Trump has clarified an inconvenient fact: the culture war is an actual war.

www.vanityfair.com

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 2d

Katie Miller tweeting out Stephen’s comments casting blame on CBP. Comes after reporting of Noem shifting blame to Miller.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

As they always should have. Let's not let them lead with lies again in the future.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

Over last 125 years, the lowest US population growth rate was in 2021, during COVID's high, growing by just 0.16 % (522,000 people) when immigration was only 376,000 people because of travel restrictions. The slowest growth was just under 0.5 % in 1919 during the Spanish flu and in 2025 0.5%.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

To qualify for regularization, applicants will have to prove they do not have a criminal record & had lived in Spain for at least 5 months –or had sought international protection– before 31 December 2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/spain-decree-regularise-undocumented-migrants

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

Abolishing it is an opportunity to recreate an agency with more responsibility with more limits but also the problem will not be removed until there is an abolition of the status of illegal immigration. We have to have a new amnesty. Spain, fastest growing economy and culture in Europe, just did.

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

g1.globo.com/mundo/notici...

O que são as cidades-santuário e por que entraram na mira de Trump | G1

Governo dos EUA quer acabar com políticas locais que limitam cooperação com imigração. Debate ganhou força após mortes e protestos contra ações do ICE em Minneapolis.

g1.globo.com

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

Segundo Ernesto Castañeda, diretor do Laboratório de Imigração a ideia de cidade-santuário funciona como uma autodeclaração, “Não existe uma definição legal. Não há uma lei federal de ‘santuário’. É um conceito aplicado caso a caso, com foco na tolerância a populações estrangeiras e sem documentos.”

Ernesto Castañeda @drernestocast.bsky.social · 2d

Analizando la situación sobre el impacto y las reacciones locales por agentes de ICE y las recientes señales de distensión por parte del presidente Trump y del gobernador Tim Walz, generadas por las operaciones migratorias en Minneapolis.
www.univision.com/noticias/ope...

Operaciones migratorias en Minneapolis generan distintas opiniones entre Trump y Tim Walz

El analista político Ernesto Castañeda analiza la situación sobre el impacto y las reacciones locales por agentes de ICE y las recientes señales de distensión por parte del presidente Donald Trump y d...

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