Ernesto Castañeda
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drernestocast.bsky.social
Ernesto Castañeda
@drernestocast.bsky.social

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

Political science 36%
Sociology 30%
Pinned
"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-...
Get beyond myths and lies and learn about Immigration Realities.
www.amazon.com/Immigration-...
@columbiaup.bsky.social

Maduro was taken by force by U.S. forces a month ago (January 3, 2026). 

On Monday, February 9, I will discuss the causes and consequences at a 
Profs and Pints event in downtown DC.

Join a great, curious, and engaged crowd that is always open to learn.

donde había menos testigos y menos resistencia y oposición de los ciudadanos. La gente que estaba alejada de las comunidades de migrantes no conocía de estas operaciones, pero desde el segundo mandato de Trump las redadas se han politizado y el tema migratorio se ha vuelto partidista”, añade.

Para Ernesto Castañeda las redadas de ICE no son algo nuevo, solo que han sido politizadas por la actual admin. “Los operativos y las deportaciones de ICE se realizaron con Obama, Biden y también en el primer mandato de Trump. Pero antes ocurrían de madrugada, en lugares de trabajo, 1/2

Maduro was taken by force by U.S. forces a month ago (January 3, 2026).

On Monday, February 9, I will discuss the causes and consequences at a @profsandpints.bsky.social event in downtown DC.

Join a great, curious, and engaged crowd always open to learn.

www.pennsocialdc.com/event-detail...
Profs & Pints DC: Venezuela’s Future—and Ours | Penn Social
An analysis of how the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela will affect that nation, the U.S., and the rest of the world, with Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Center for Latin American ...
www.pennsocialdc.com

-Current immigration laws create family separations.
-A closed border, along with no asylum, and less legal immigration is not something to celebrate.

You can read more here:
theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/immig...
Immigration Myths Die Hard
One Year into Trump 2.0, Some Immigration Myths are Shattering, but Some of the Big Lies from the 2024 Trump Campaign Continue
theimmigrationlab.org

Mass deportations cannot be taken as a normal campaign promise. The level of violence and violation of rights needed to conduct mass deportations from U.S. communities is not compatible to a society that is democratic and protest the Bill of Rights.

Multiple factual misunderstandings persist in the way that immigration is often framed and discussed in media coverage and political commentary. Here some recurring new and old myths.

Wrote this piece for minors and beginners to understand why deportations happen. Still relevant because kids are justifiably afraid.
theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/under...

"The climate in DC remains especially volatile for mixed status families, who must live with the fear that their loved one will be detained while doing their daily tasks. A member of the Sacred Heart Church was detained by ICE while selling fruits and vegetables at the family owned fruit stand."

"Churchgoers are ‘fearful to leave their homes, get food, medical care or attend Mass’. The Archdiocese of Washington describes these mass deportations as “instruments of terror” for the Latino community of DC.
aulablog.net/2026/01/29/m...
Misconceptions, Latino Youth, and the Path Ahead: The Immigration Realities for Latino Communities in Washington, DC
By Maria Muradyan  Most of the narratives about immigration are wrong. They are simplistic, outdated, and dangerous. — Ernesto Castañeda.   This quote carries particular weight here in Washing…
aulablog.net

Escalation and excessive force continues in Minneapolis.
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.

Implicaciones de las politicas sobre inmigracion del Presidente Trump. Entrevista con Juan José Martínez de France 24 en relacion o los operativos de ICE en Minneapolis y otras ciudades conducida el 15 de enero.
#ICE #ReneeGood #AlexPretti #Paramilitares
www.spreaker.com/episode/ice-...
ICE brazo armado del ejecutivo - El Podcast de Ernesto Castañeda
www.spreaker.com
happening this morning in Minneapolis -- ICE agents drawing guns on observers. I reiterate again that it is only a matter of time before DHS kills more innocent people in Minnesota. Congress needs to shut this shit down right now.

Union leader, Taylor Rehmet won big by reaching out Hispanic voters and opposing mass deportations affecting the Fort Worth - Dallas metro region. Many union members and volunteers helped reach out people and knock door to door.

"Rehmet decided last summer to run in a special election for a ruby red Texas Senate that Trmp won by > 17 points in 2024. When Romero mobilized to help Rehmet court Latino voters, he saw a serious 1st-time candidate talking to voters on front porches & running like he could win." Alejandro Serrano
How Democrats flipped a ruby red Senate seat in North Texas
Observers of the race said Rehmet’s working-class appeal, along with Latino and suburban backlash to GOP policies, fueled his win in a district Donald Trump carried by 17 points.
www.texastribune.org
Regularisation policies have been shown, repeatedly, to tackle exploitation and boost domestic economies. While Labour makes it harder for migrants to be recognised, policies like Spain's are better for everyone. Tougher immigration policies are counterproductive
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Spanish PM defends plans to regularise half a million undocumented migrants
Responding to critics of policy, Pedro Sánchez says Spain is choosing path of ‘dignity, community and justice’
www.theguardian.com

Correct @rhodesben.bsky.social
Important OpEd.

"Twenty-five years into it, the war on terror has become a war against ourselves. That forever war must come to an end. Enough with the military gear. Enough with the mass surveillance. Enough with the constant fear of an ever-shifting Other." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/o...
Opinion | The Rot Goes Deeper Than ICE
www.nytimes.com

"After Congress failed to pass immigration reform, it plowed resources into enforcement — in the Obama years, we saw this as a down payment on legislation that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. We were wrong."

"End immigration enforcement at the D.H.S. & return it to the Department of Justice so that it is embedded in the rule of law. This goes beyond abolishing ICE in its current form; we must fundamentally overhaul D.H.S. and end the securitization of American life." @benrhodes.bsky.social

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

📣 Join us for "Venezuela's Future and ours"

Ernesto Castañeda will discuss the possible motivations behind the U.S. operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power, and its implications for Latin America and beyond. 

Register here: 👉https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1981798567865?aff=oddtdtcreator

On Thursday, January 29, I explained the case of #LiamConejoRamos & predicted he would soon be released. He was today! See here how & why many people like him are detained with no conviction, for an unknown time, with few rights & oversight. #NoticiasCaracolAhora #ICE
youtube.com/shorts/J4eEX...
Liam Ramos sera liberado por la presion publica
YouTube video by ErnestoCast
youtube.com

On Thursday, January 29, I explained the case of Liam Conejo Ramos & predicted he would soon be released. He was today! See here how & why many people like him are detained with no conviction, for an unknown time, with few rights & oversight. #NoticiasCaracolAhora #ICE
youtube.com/shorts/J4eEX...
Liam Ramos sera liberado por la presion publica
YouTube video by ErnestoCast
youtube.com

Liam Cornejo Ramos and his dad have been released. Hundreds of children are still detained. Our current immigration laws create family separations due to deportation and prevent many working-class families from migrating together. 
#immigrationrealities #familiesbelongtogether #ReuniteThem

For more on the history of this. Reasons for migration, and potential that minors have once in the U.S. read and listen to:
www.amazon.com/Reunited-Sep...

including 20 infants, were arrested & detained by immigration authorities. Since March 2025, hundreds of families w children in federal immigration custody, with more than 1,700 children in custody since family detention centers reopened. Some for nearly half a year.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/o...
Opinion | Liam Ramos Was Just One of Hundreds of Children at This Detention Center. Release Them All.
www.nytimes.com