Sofya Aptekar
LightNews LightNews
banner
sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar
@sofaptekar.bsky.social
800 followers 650 following 100 posts

CUNY prof, proud member of PSC-CUNY, author of Green Card Soldier, Lend & Rule, and The Road to Citizenship, sociologist, urban kayaker @bbpboathouse, "gratuitously politicized"

Videos
Political science 39%
Sociology 31%
Posts Replies Media Videos

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 10h
Bane of our existence as a smaller union (PSC). See also how the Municipal Labor Committee decides our health insurance.

Reposted by Anne Norton, Sofya Aptekar

taliajane.bsky.social
talia jane ❤️‍🔥 @taliajane.bsky.social · 19h
ICE garage blockaded in lower Manhattan with dozens of agents stuck inside as more and more New Yorkers gather.

NYPD observed staging on Canal & Broadway, expected come over for crowd control.

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 1d
Wonder how it affects Northwestern's credit rating 🤔
mattheweadie.bsky.social Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Matthew Bunn , and 25 more

mattheweadie.bsky.social
Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:

Reposted by Anders Nilsson, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green , and 7 more

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social
Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 3d
I feel much safer today knowing that we deported a Babson College student back to a country where she hasn't lived since childhood.

She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
A Babson College student wanted to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. She was deported instead. - The Boston Globe
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was at Logan to catch a flight to Texas when immigration authorities detained her as she was about to board the plane.
www.bostonglobe.com

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 4d
And likely our pension money and our union reserves are invested in it.
laborlab.bsky.social LaborLab @laborlab.bsky.social · 4d
The union-busting industry is massive. Massive and insidious. It’s an industry that thrives in the shadows.

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

laborlab.bsky.social
LaborLab @laborlab.bsky.social · 4d
The union-busting industry is massive. Massive and insidious. It’s an industry that thrives in the shadows.

Reposted by Marc Lynch

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 6d
Well this is very bad.
How Universities Used Counterterror Intelligence-Sharing Hubs to Surveil Pro-Palestine Students
Internal university communications reveal how a network established for post-9/11 intelligence sharing was turned on students protesting genocide.
theintercept.com

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

taliajane.bsky.social
talia jane ❤️‍🔥 @taliajane.bsky.social · 8d
VERIFIED: Fundraiser for the Queens family that had their door busted down & a gun pointed in their face by ICE.

The children are all traumatized, unable to sleep.

Fundraiser seeks to secure them emergency housing and get therapy for the kids. www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-...
Donate to Help a Traumatized Family Find Safety and Stability, organized by Katherine Gomez
A family in our community is living through every parent’s worst n… Katherine Gomez needs your support for Help a Traumatized Family Find Safety and Stability
www.gofundme.com

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

tejnagaraja.bsky.social
Tej Nagaraja @tejnagaraja.bsky.social · 10d
*Nov 19 — The migrant worker Joe Hill was executed — Around the world, wherever working people struggle, he lives on beside them. #1u

*Nov 20 — Trans Day of Remembrance, for those lost around the world — as we cherish and champion all of our neighbors. 🏳️‍⚧️

An injury to one, is an injury to all.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Anna O. Law, Peter Thorne , and 13 more

brookenewman.bsky.social
Brooke Newman @brookenewman.bsky.social · 15d
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
A thread by an A&M professor describing how the new rules will impact faculty. Syllabi must be fed into AI to be checked for content not aligned with approved syllabi; students will be encouraged to report faculty for inaccurate content; and young people are now being told they get to decide what a professor should teach.

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 18d
Dang, you are a real one @rtfanning.bsky.social "it gets clearer and clearer that “Veterans Day” is nothing more than an attempt to bury the oppressive and deadly agenda of the U.S. ruling class by celebrating our “heroes.” 🔥

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

rtfanning.bsky.social
Rory Fanning @rtfanning.bsky.social · 18d
My annual 11/11 Occupiers Day article ✊ truthout.org/articles/ice...
ICE Is Functioning Like an Occupying Army. I Know Because I Served in One.
Veteran-led protests against Trump’s National Guard deployments encourage soldiers to resist Trump’s illegal orders.
truthout.org

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 23d
This would be transformative. To invest in publicly developed and owned learning management systems at CUNY instead of extractive and shitty Brightspace, Blackboard etc.
mkgold.bsky.social Matt Gold @mkgold.bsky.social · 24d
Huge thanks to @mattseybold.bsky.social for writing this great post, which highlights CUNY's transformative potential to build open educational infrastructure

theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Sofya Aptekar

mkgold.bsky.social
Matt Gold @mkgold.bsky.social · 24d
Huge thanks to @mattseybold.bsky.social for writing this great post, which highlights CUNY's transformative potential to build open educational infrastructure

theamericanvandal.substack.com/p/mamdani-wi...

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

emanabdelhadi.bsky.social
Eman Abdelhadi @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social · 26d
Every time one of these mass murderers dies without having faced any consequence for the massacres they ordered, the lives they destroyed, the societies they razed to the ground… I realize how far we are from a world with justice. Rest in hell Dick Cheney. Your legacy is death.

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 29d
Nov. 14: BU Law Review Symposium on The University and Democracy.
I'll be in PLENARY #2: The Political Economy of the Modern University, speaking about debt financing of public higher ed, credit ratings, and Wall Street governing our universities, building on Lend & Rule www.bu.edu/law/engageme...
Fall 2025 Law Review Symposium | The University and Democracy | School of Law
www.bu.edu

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 29d
Nov 13: honored to be invited by the talented and committed @lizbethdsantana.bsky.social to participate in a panel on deported veterans at Baruch College, drawing on my research for Green Card Soldier.
Honoring Our Own. Veterans Day Event Program. November 13, 2025. 12:30-2:30. Baruch College NVC, Multi-purpose Room 107. 12:30-2:30 deported veterans photo exhibit by Dr. Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana. 1pm-1:30pm Bring Them Home (2022) film screening 1:30-2:15 hybrid panel with Juan Garcia (deported veteran), Rob Young (Excuse My Accent), Dr. Sofya Aptekar (CUNY), Margaret Cargioli (Immigrant Defenders Law Center), and James Smith (Black Deported Veterans of America), Background of the flyer is a photograph of the border wall painted with names of deported veterans and crosses.

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · 29d
How are we already entering November... Amidst it all, it feels a bit weird to do normal things like talks, but here I go:
11/3: Wake Forest sociology department visit
11/13: Baruch College panel on deported vets
11/14: Boston University Law Review Symposium
More details in thread
Speaker Series: Technologies of the State. Green Card Soldier: Betwen Model Immigrant and Security Threat. Professor Sofya Aptekar. CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. November 3, 2025. 3:30-5:00pm ZSK Room 404. In the corner, there is a photograph of the speaker, white woman with long gray-brown hair against a black background and image of the book cover in a circle, black outline of the United States against a camo background

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Ben H. Ansell, Steven Heydemann , and 19 more

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Oct 28
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both. Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year. I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table." It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 24
Cool article about public libraries that has some quotes from me. Love to see my work in Spanish (and an unexpected promotion to antropóloga) www.elsaltodiario.com/institucione...
Bibliotecas públicas: un tercer lugar donde ensayar la utopía
Las bibliotecas han sido históricamente objetivo de ataques que no siempre han tomado la forma de incendio o metralla: el desinterés o la censura también son una amenaza para su supervivencia.
www.elsaltodiario.com

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 20
Tomorrow evening! Come to discuss debt struggles, including the debt our public schools are in, abortion debt, and military debt.
sofaptekar.bsky.social Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 13
Join us for this @debtcollective.bsky.social Jubilee School session on Oct. 21. Ill be talking about military labor and debt (even as footage of military workers in food pantry lines is all over the news) debtcollective.org/event/is-a-d...
Is a Debtors’ Revolution the Way?
Presented by South Atlantic Quarterly Special Debt Issue Authors Jason Wozniak, Eleni Schirmer, Braxton Brewington, Sofya Aptekar
debtcollective.org

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 16
The Defense Commissary Agency is pushing its predatory credit card on military workers dealing with food insecurity. Under the debt regime we live in, debt is a solution for every problem, for survival itself. It comes at you seemingly from every side, including from your employer/government.
toasty.cx toasty (pronounced like that guy in mortal kombat) @toasty.cx · Oct 11
Just throwing this out for anyone who doesn't know: the military star card is a predatory credit card aimed directly at service members so it is not in fact a great option for soldiers across the force as CJ is saying in the screenshot here
aphclarkson.bsky.social Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · Oct 11
If this was happening in any other country you'd have journalists and analysts discussing risks of state failure

Reposted by Anna O. Law

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 16
I went on the American Campus podcast to talk about the other kind of college debt - the debt that our colleges are in. What does the financialization of higher ed mean for the way colleges and universities are governed? americancampuspodcast.buzzsprout.com/2396665/epis...
The university’s creditors with Sofya Aptekar - American Campus Podcast
On hedge funds, private equity, and the financialization of public colleges.References and suggested readings:The Coalition Against Campus Debt. 2024. Lend and Rule: Fighting the Financialization of P...
americancampuspodcast.buzzsprout.com

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 13
Join us for this @debtcollective.bsky.social Jubilee School session on Oct. 21. Ill be talking about military labor and debt (even as footage of military workers in food pantry lines is all over the news) debtcollective.org/event/is-a-d...
Is a Debtors’ Revolution the Way?
Presented by South Atlantic Quarterly Special Debt Issue Authors Jason Wozniak, Eleni Schirmer, Braxton Brewington, Sofya Aptekar
debtcollective.org

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

toasty.cx
toasty (pronounced like that guy in mortal kombat) @toasty.cx · Oct 11
Just throwing this out for anyone who doesn't know: the military star card is a predatory credit card aimed directly at service members so it is not in fact a great option for soldiers across the force as CJ is saying in the screenshot here
aphclarkson.bsky.social Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · Oct 11
If this was happening in any other country you'd have journalists and analysts discussing risks of state failure

Reposted by Ruha Benjamin, Juan Cole, Nancy T. Ammerman , and 5 more

mskellymhayes.bsky.social
Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · Oct 3
@emanabdelhadi.bsky.social tells these cops about themselves.

sofaptekar.bsky.social
Sofya Aptekar @sofaptekar.bsky.social · Oct 3
Fresh example of trash research for my research methods class.
the-independent.com The Independent @the-independent.com · Oct 2
Nearly a third of Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says
1 in 3 Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says
www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, John R. Hutchinson, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 7 more

the-independent.com
The Independent @the-independent.com · Oct 2
Nearly a third of Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says
1 in 3 Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says
www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Sofya Aptekar

sbworkersunited.org
Starbucks Workers United @sbworkersunited.org · Oct 1
✊ALLIES: WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

> Sign our No Contract No Coffee pledge to commit to not crossing a picket line: bit.ly/NoContractNoCoffee
> Donate to our strike fund by purchasing union-made merch from our store or donating directly: sbworkersunited.org/strike-fund/
No Contract, No Coffee Pledge
 Baristas are the most important part of the Starbucks experience. Baristas open the stores every morning and close them every night. They greet customers, make the coffee, clean up the spills, a...
bit.ly