Ernesto Castañeda
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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%
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"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

Ataque legalmente pecaminoso pero tecnicamente impecable.

youtu.be/CjazswOC5z8?...
Vamos a manejar el país
YouTube video by ErnestoCast
youtu.be

-Unlawful extraction, but technically flawless.
-The naked return of the Monroe Doctrine. Not popular across Latin America.
-The supposed head of Los Soles was captured. So that issue can be closed without democratizing or improving the economic situation of people in Venezuela.

From the press conference on Jan 3, 2026, we saw a statement of "mission accomplished" in Venezuela without a Declaration of War. While unlawful, the extraction was not the worst outcome. However, there were no statements about restoring democracy in Venezuela. This could turn into US rule by proxy.

Nueva Presidenta en Venezuela pero no la que pensaba o queria la oposición. France24 Español 1/3.

The events in Venezuela were fueled by Marco Rubio and his close advisors obsessed with Cuba.
Do not use the term "narcoterrorism" to talk about this.
More here:
aulablog.net/2025/12/23/w...
What is behind the US Escalation of Threats against Venezuela?
By Ernesto Castañeda Regarding the question of what is happening between the United States and Venezuela, the answer is that this is a partially unintended, unanticipated international focus at the…
aulablog.net

Convenient how the CEO of SpaceX ordered the closure of NASA research labs, libraries, and projects. Privatization often leads to corruption and worse outcomes, including subpar services and products.

1) ICE adds have been expensive & ineffective, more successful in seeding fear that in selling the idea.
2) It would be more effective & helpful to give immigrants ready to leave 20k per capita rather than hunt them as criminals.
3) The self-deportations official figures are dubious & non-credible.

Great piece about Mamdani's philosophy about government: society is real and the goverment can be part of the answer in securing freedom, rights, and wellbeing.

The time of neoliberal economic, political, and theoretical hegemony is ending -continuing the post-neoliberal turn by Trump and Biden.

“Immigration and Urban Vitality: How Newcomers Make Cities Strong.” Metropolitan Washington Workshop on Immigration & Race. The George Washington. January 30.

He has a team that is part young & original and part tried & experienced.

Other cities already have free busses & New Mexico already offers childcare. It is doable.

youtu.be/61j5jYm2S44?...
Zohran Mamdani sworn in as Mayor of New York City
YouTube video by ErnestoCast
youtu.be

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as Mayor of New York City. He represents merit, skill, hard work, and the diversity of the city. As he said, he will govern for all New Yorkers and as a Democratic Socialist. Much hope & expectations are projected into him & he knows it.

A joyful moment.

Talked to Noticias Univsion on the last year of 2025 about how Trump was able to implement much of Project 2025. Including diminishing sanctioned and unauthorized immigration. Latino communities have been targeted with aggressive detentions in the streets. Biden's advances on asylum and econ undone.
This opinion is bad news for the Trump administration, which is going to have to defend itself against Abrego Garcia’s claim he’s being vindictively prosecuted. But that claim is supported by some of the government’s own emails. Read the details here: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...
Unsealed: Abrego Garcia
The sealed order in the Abrego Garcia case that I wrote about in Sunday night’s “The Week Ahead” column was unsealed today.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

Pass it on! Tenured, associate professor position in Black and Latinx Studies--reopened until Jan 5. Includes research budget, summer salary, great program, colleagues, students in NYC. cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/...
Jobs | City University of New York
cuny.jobs

Understanding Deportation for Children, Teens, and Their Parents

By Ernesto Castañeda If you are a young student in the United States and you are worried that you, a classmate, or a loved one could be deported by ICE agents, as you have seen on social media, TV, or in your neighborhood, this short…
Understanding Deportation for Children, Teens, and Their Parents
By Ernesto Castañeda If you are a young student in the United States and you are worried that you, a classmate, or a loved one could be deported by ICE agents, as you have seen on social media, TV, or in your neighborhood, this short text is for you. Why are people in pseudo-military clothes and vests with the initials ICE, HSI, CBP,* and others patrolling the streets and aggressively arresting people in public?
aulablog.net

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

YEAR IN REVIEW. The Immigration Lab!
Thanks for all your work, help, and support!!!

And those most affected are families of mixed status; 1 in 4 students has at least one immigrant parent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics." DW

A survey by The New York Times and the Kaiser Foundation states that 41% of respondents fear being detained or deported. That figure was 26% in 2023. ICE leaves a profound mark on the mental health of thousands of people, causing stress, anxiety, and depression.

"The surge in raids in the U.S. primarily affects migrants of Latin American origin. As of July 2025, arrest warrants increased by 141% in Florida, according to the Deportation Data Project; 72% of those arrested come from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, American University, Washington, DC.
Year in Review.
Thanks for your support!

Reposted by Ernesto Castañeda

This year felt like a decade. I wanted to highlight some of the immigration reporting I've done over the past 12 months:

In January, I wrote about the big money fueling the right's plot to end birthright citizenship.
The big-money right-wing push to upend the Constitution—and kill birthright citizenship
“We’re in totally uncharted territory.”
www.motherjones.com

"Lawyer & eugenicist Madison Grant wrote in his 1916 book, “The Passing of the Great Race,” that foreign countries were taking advantage of America’s openness by unloading “the sweepings of their jails & asylums” & that American life, social, moral & political has been lowered & vulgarized by them.”
I miss Joe Biden. So thoughtful and kind.

"Y las grandes afectadas son las familias de estatus mixto; 1 de cada 4 estudiantes tiene al menos un padre o madre inmigrante, según el Centro Nacional de Estadísticas de Educación."