Julio Ricardo Varela
@juliorvarela.com
Award-winning journalist. Senior Producer/Strategist, FreePress.net. Founder, TheLatinoNewsletter.org (2024), LatinoRebels.com (2011). MS.now columnist. Opinions here are mine only and no one else's 🇵🇷
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
A powerful reflection by my friend and colleague @juliorvarela.com — not just as a political observer but as a parent.
On this frigid Saturday morning in the Northeast, I woke up to my words as the main story on @ms.now
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
January 24, 2026 at 4:05 PM
A powerful reflection by my friend and colleague @juliorvarela.com — not just as a political observer but as a parent.
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
i think this attitude — that all opposition is illegitimate and nothing we do can be questioned— is probably pervasive in the white house and helps explain why they keep making terrible political choices
Putin pioneered this. No opposition is legitimate. Regular, decent, “ordinary” people cannot possibly be against us because only we represent “the real people.”
Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.
Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.
January 25, 2026 at 3:02 PM
i think this attitude — that all opposition is illegitimate and nothing we do can be questioned— is probably pervasive in the white house and helps explain why they keep making terrible political choices
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
Update via @apnews.com
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 51-year-old man shot Saturday by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis has died, a hospital record obtained by The Associated Press shows.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 51-year-old man shot Saturday by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis has died, a hospital record obtained by The Associated Press shows.
January 24, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Update via @apnews.com
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 51-year-old man shot Saturday by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis has died, a hospital record obtained by The Associated Press shows.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 51-year-old man shot Saturday by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis has died, a hospital record obtained by The Associated Press shows.
The podcast team at @thelatinonewsletter.org is doing some excellent work these days. Really proud of them.
Our latest podcast episode is out! Host Michelle Zacarias welcomes @nicolefoy.bsky.social of @propublica.org
Nicole Foy and the Power of Local Journalism
Nicole Foy and the Power of Local Journalism
Nicole Foy and the Power of Local Journalism
Investigative reporter Nicole Foy joins the Latino Newsletter Podcast to discuss her groundbreaking ProPublica investigation that uncovered more than 170 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agen...
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 24, 2026 at 3:34 PM
The podcast team at @thelatinonewsletter.org is doing some excellent work these days. Really proud of them.
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
ICE detention staff reported death of restrained man as a suicide
The statements to 911 operators the night Geraldo Lunas Campos died appear to conflict with autopsy’s later finding of homicide.
The statements to 911 operators the night Geraldo Lunas Campos died appear to conflict with autopsy’s later finding of homicide.
ICE detention staff reported death of restrained man as a suicide
The statements to 911 operators the night Geraldo Lunas Campos died appear to conflict with autopsy’s later finding of ‘homicide.’
www.washingtonpost.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:40 AM
ICE detention staff reported death of restrained man as a suicide
The statements to 911 operators the night Geraldo Lunas Campos died appear to conflict with autopsy’s later finding of homicide.
The statements to 911 operators the night Geraldo Lunas Campos died appear to conflict with autopsy’s later finding of homicide.
On this frigid Saturday morning in the Northeast, I woke up to my words as the main story on @ms.now
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
January 24, 2026 at 3:33 PM
On this frigid Saturday morning in the Northeast, I woke up to my words as the main story on @ms.now
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
How the photo of a 5-year-old in a Spider-Man backpack shocked America
You can read it here: www.ms.now/opinion/liam...
My latest opinion piece for MS NOW
The photo of 5-year-old Liam Ramos being detained by ICE is a shameful look for America
The photo of 5-year-old Liam Ramos being detained by ICE is a shameful look for America
Opinion | JD Vance's response to ICE detaining a 5-year-old was especially bad
Julio Ricardo Varela:
www.ms.now
January 24, 2026 at 2:14 PM
My latest opinion piece for MS NOW
The photo of 5-year-old Liam Ramos being detained by ICE is a shameful look for America
The photo of 5-year-old Liam Ramos being detained by ICE is a shameful look for America
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
“We risk slipping into a world where all information is propaganda, & we can no longer challenge the power that wants to crush our freedoms. The only way to combat it is to keep showing up, keep writing, keep recording, keep interviewing, keep asking the tough questions they don’t want you to ask.”
My latest for Pressing Issues, the twice-a-week newsletter from @freepress.bsky.social
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Protesters and the press both need the First Amendment — and they both need to keep showing up
pressingissues.org
January 23, 2026 at 10:29 PM
“We risk slipping into a world where all information is propaganda, & we can no longer challenge the power that wants to crush our freedoms. The only way to combat it is to keep showing up, keep writing, keep recording, keep interviewing, keep asking the tough questions they don’t want you to ask.”
My latest for Pressing Issues, the twice-a-week newsletter from @freepress.bsky.social
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Protesters and the press both need the First Amendment — and they both need to keep showing up
pressingissues.org
January 23, 2026 at 10:02 PM
My latest for Pressing Issues, the twice-a-week newsletter from @freepress.bsky.social
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Disinformation, Dissent and Don Lemon
Special thanks to @notaaroncraig.bsky.social for being a great editor to get my thoughts organized.
Loved what Joaquín Cotler wrote about for today's @thelatinonewsletter.org. Joaquín announced an open call for our #AmericanColony podcast series, an idea we have been working on together since 2024.
The January 22 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is by Joaquín Cotler, our Senior Producer of podcasts.
An Open Call for Our ‘American Colony’ Podcast Series
Recent events led to a pivot about what we plan to produce, but we are ready to start
An Open Call for Our ‘American Colony’ Podcast Series
Recent events led to a pivot about what we plan to produce, but we are ready to start
An Open Call for Our ‘American Colony’ Podcast Series
After several months in pre-production, we are entering the formal production phase of American Colony, a project Julio Ricardo Varela and I started more than two years ago.
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 23, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Loved what Joaquín Cotler wrote about for today's @thelatinonewsletter.org. Joaquín announced an open call for our #AmericanColony podcast series, an idea we have been working on together since 2024.
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
COMPLICIT: Corporate Media's Capitulation to Trump's Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This comprehensive report sheds new light on the ongoing capitulation of major media, tech and telecom companies to the dictates of a bigoted and corrupt administration.
www.freepress.net
January 22, 2026 at 8:36 PM
We @freepress.bsky.social just released groundbreaking report by @rlivier.bsky.social analyzing corporate media’s abandoning of diversity, equity & inclusion commitments—capitulating to legally feckless mandates Trump issued to erase civil rights & representation: www.freepress.net/policy-libra...
House passes DHS funding bill despite Democratic opposition over ICE via @washingtonpost.com
House passes DHS funding bill despite Democratic opposition over ICE
Lawmakers are still on track to prevent another government shutdown at the end of the month.
wapo.st
January 23, 2026 at 12:16 AM
House passes DHS funding bill despite Democratic opposition over ICE via @washingtonpost.com
Happy news only today: “For All Mankind” returns for its fifth season Friday, March 27 on Apple TV.
January 21, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Happy news only today: “For All Mankind” returns for its fifth season Friday, March 27 on Apple TV.
Revisiting a document I uploaded several years ago.
The #MLKDay edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is by @juliorvarela.com
MLK and Puerto Rico
Part of a history you may not know about
MLK and Puerto Rico
Part of a history you may not know about
MLK and Puerto Rico
Welcome to the 84th week of The Latino Newsletter, and while our newsroom is closed today in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I still wanted to continue a tradition that started when Latino ...
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 19, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Revisiting a document I uploaded several years ago.
Send them our way: [email protected]
Here is our latest call for pitches.
Pitch Us | The Latino Newsletter
About us. All the time.
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 18, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Send them our way: [email protected]
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
The January 16 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is new reporting by @serenamaria36.bsky.social of the Midwest Mexican
Detroit Weighs Its Options as ICE Enforcement Continues Out of Sight
Detroit Weighs Its Options as ICE Enforcement Continues Out of Sight
Detroit Weighs Its Options as ICE Enforcement Continues Out of Sight
DETROIT — As cities across the country grapple with highly visible confrontations between federal immigration agents and residents, officials are examining how the city can respond to enforcement act...
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:17 AM
The January 16 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is new reporting by @serenamaria36.bsky.social of the Midwest Mexican
Detroit Weighs Its Options as ICE Enforcement Continues Out of Sight
Detroit Weighs Its Options as ICE Enforcement Continues Out of Sight
Thankful to @andreaflores.bsky.social for connecting with me for today's edition of Pressing Issues.
How We Got to Minneapolis
How We Got to Minneapolis
How We Got to Minneapolis
Andrea Flores on the roots of government violence and what it will take to stop it
pressingissues.org
January 17, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Thankful to @andreaflores.bsky.social for connecting with me for today's edition of Pressing Issues.
How We Got to Minneapolis
How We Got to Minneapolis
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
Feed us before we deport you. This is America in 2026.
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
How We Got to Minneapolis
Andrea Flores on the roots of government violence and what it will take to stop it
pressingissues.org
January 17, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Feed us before we deport you. This is America in 2026.
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
@juliorvarela.com interviews @andreaflores.bsky.social about how got to Minneapolis and what it will take to stop what’s happening.
New Pressing Issues. Subscribe!
Family of man shot by ICE in Minneapolis disputes key aspects of DHS account via @washingtonpost.com
Family of man shot by ICE in Minneapolis disputes key aspects of DHS account
Relatives say the shooting occurred at the door of the house, not out in the street amid a scuffle. They also say the victim was not the man targeted in a traffic stop.
wapo.st
January 16, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Family of man shot by ICE in Minneapolis disputes key aspects of DHS account via @washingtonpost.com
Fact: I was not as prolific a writer at Henders' age. He has a future and happy that @thelatinonewsletter.org is giving Henders a place to practice his craft.
The January 15 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is a new opinion piece by Henders Aponte, a high school student of Venezuelan descent.
Venezuela, Human Rights, and the Left’s Moral Blind Spot
Condemning US intervention should not require excusing repression, silence, or suffering
Venezuela, Human Rights, and the Left’s Moral Blind Spot
Condemning US intervention should not require excusing repression, silence, or suffering
Venezuela, Human Rights, and the Left’s Moral Blind Spot
Violations of international law are not inconsequential. They shape civilian life and democratic norms, and, regardless of who carries them out, must be excoriated. But rejecting U.S. imperialism cann...
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Fact: I was not as prolific a writer at Henders' age. He has a future and happy that @thelatinonewsletter.org is giving Henders a place to practice his craft.
Via @nytimes.com
A federal agent shot and injured an immigrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, federal officials said, an incident that touched off clashes between protesters and law enforcement and that came just one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.
A federal agent shot and injured an immigrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, federal officials said, an incident that touched off clashes between protesters and law enforcement and that came just one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.
Federal Agent Shoots Immigrant in Minneapolis, Homeland Security Says
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Via @nytimes.com
A federal agent shot and injured an immigrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, federal officials said, an incident that touched off clashes between protesters and law enforcement and that came just one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.
A federal agent shot and injured an immigrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, federal officials said, an incident that touched off clashes between protesters and law enforcement and that came just one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.
Another @thelatinonewsletter.org opinion debut.
The January 14 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is a debut opinion piece by Mauro Morales.
The Rise of the American Gestapo
It’s time to call ICE what it is
The Rise of the American Gestapo
It’s time to call ICE what it is
The Rise of the American Gestapo
ICE is evolving into a secret police agency and has become our modern-day Gestapo. Even Joe Rogan, who endorsed Donald Trump in 2024, thinks so.
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 15, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Another @thelatinonewsletter.org opinion debut.
ICE has always wanted to be like this. Ever since 2003. Now they have a boss who is letting them go unchecked. It was all they needed.
January 14, 2026 at 4:24 PM
ICE has always wanted to be like this. Ever since 2003. Now they have a boss who is letting them go unchecked. It was all they needed.
Reposted by Julio Ricardo Varela
The January 13 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is by Hector Cervantes
Chicago Police Scrutinized Over Collaboration With ICE
Participants at listening session say it violates Welcoming City ordinance
Chicago Police Scrutinized Over Collaboration With ICE
Participants at listening session say it violates Welcoming City ordinance
Chicago Police Scrutinized Over Collaboration With ICE
CHICAGO — The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) held a listening session last Thursday to examine allegations of Chicago police cooperation with federal immigration age...
thelatinonewsletter.org
January 13, 2026 at 10:56 PM
The January 13 edition of @thelatinonewsletter.org is by Hector Cervantes
Chicago Police Scrutinized Over Collaboration With ICE
Participants at listening session say it violates Welcoming City ordinance
Chicago Police Scrutinized Over Collaboration With ICE
Participants at listening session say it violates Welcoming City ordinance
The opener from @notaaroncraig.bsky.social's latest for PressingIssues.org
You know it’s getting bad when the Orwell quotes start recirculating.
With the doublespeak pouring out of the White House briefing room, the Trump regime produces Orwellian moments on the daily.
You know it’s getting bad when the Orwell quotes start recirculating.
With the doublespeak pouring out of the White House briefing room, the Trump regime produces Orwellian moments on the daily.
Liar, Liar, World on Fire
People don’t trust the media because they won’t tell them who’s lying
pressingissues.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The opener from @notaaroncraig.bsky.social's latest for PressingIssues.org
You know it’s getting bad when the Orwell quotes start recirculating.
With the doublespeak pouring out of the White House briefing room, the Trump regime produces Orwellian moments on the daily.
You know it’s getting bad when the Orwell quotes start recirculating.
With the doublespeak pouring out of the White House briefing room, the Trump regime produces Orwellian moments on the daily.