Caitlin Patler
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caitlinpatler.bsky.social
Caitlin Patler
@caitlinpatler.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Public Policy, UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Research on #immigration #immigrationpolicy #daca #immigrationdetention #health
Pinned
My Op-Ed in @nytimes.com on why & how immigration detention is extremely harmful for child development. www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/o...
Opinion | What Will Indefinite Detention Do to Migrant Kids? (Published 2019)
The evidence is clear: No detention center is safe and healthy for children.
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
"California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office warned that the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act could strip hundreds of millions of dollars a year in #CalFresh food aid from low-income Californians and shift billions in costs to state and counties."
www.sacbee.com/news/local/a...
California legislative analyst warns SNAP cuts will strain, family state budgets
Federal Big Beautiful Bill will slash CalFresh benefits, drop thousands from aid and shift billions in costs to California and counties.
www.sacbee.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
NEW: An analysis finds that NIH funding cuts have disrupted at least 383 clinical trials, affecting over 74,000 participants that were enrolled in studies that were testing treatments for conditions including cancer, heart disease and brain disease.
November 17, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Based on data we got in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, DHS statistics show that the agents have worked about 33 percent fewer hours on child exploitation than is typical and at least five times as many hours on immigration enforcement.
November 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
The cost of Trump's immigration surge: Stalled investigations into child sexual abuse, Iranian oil smuggling and human trafficking, among others. My latest piece is a big team effort on how DHS has been transformed into the Department of Deportation.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
Homeland Security Missions Falter Amid Focus on Deportations
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
The #SupremeCourt will review a Ninth Circuit ruling that struck down the government’s prior “turnback” policy, which blocked people from seeking asylum at ports of entry and forced them back to Mexico.

Our organizations are serving as co-counsel in this case. Read more below.
SCOTUS to Hear Case on Turnbacks of Asylum Seekers
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about whether it was illegal for the U.S. government to turn away asylum seekers at the border.
www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
5 headlines tonight on Charlotte Observer’s homepage:

“Manolo's Bakery closes to protect customers”

“Church members flee as federal agents arrive”

“Super G executive describes agents dragging out teen employee”

“Border Patrol questions people at Walmart”

“Border Patrol sweep sparks fear”
November 16, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
The Trump administration was ordered by a judge to stop freezing or threatening to withhold federal grant funds to schools in the University of California system as part of a campaign to impose policy changes on elite colleges
University of California Faculty Win Block on Trump Defunding
The Trump administration was ordered by a judge to stop freezing or threatening to withhold federal grant funds to the University of California as part of a nationwide pressure campaign to impose a raft of policy changes on elite colleges.
bloom.bg
November 15, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Fed. judge holds that the Trump administration engaged in coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First and Tenth Amendments in its pretextual attacks on the University of California system.

PI granted.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
The Trump administration directed visa officers to consider obesity — and other chronic health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes — as reasons to deny foreigners visas to the U.S.
U.S. visas can be denied for obesity, cancer and diabetes, Rubio says
The Trump administration has directed visa officers to consider obesity and other chronic health conditions when deciding whether to grant visas to immigrants.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
What Ken Paxton is doing here is deranged -- suing organizations that provide legal assistance to immigrants (especially immigrant children) -- and also we should see it as the test case for what the GOP wants to do.
There is nothing illegal—or unconstitutional—about funding legal support to ensure fairness in the courts. This lawsuit is a political stunt, wasting taxpayer dollars at a time when our communities need integrity, not spectacle.

Full article: www.upi.com/Top_News/US/...
Texas sues Harris County over $1.35M deportation defense fund - UPI.com
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Harris County for allocating $1.35 million to oppose federal deportation efforts.
www.upi.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says reut.rs/4qRPCLg
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says
Detainees at the largest U.S. migrant detention camp endure foul-tasting drinking water, rotten food and inadequate healthcare, according to a U.S. congresswoman who called the tent facility in El Paso, Texas, "inhumane."
reut.rs
November 11, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Dreamers were once obvious candidates for a path to citizenship. Now, they’re getting picked up, detained, and set for potential deportation.
Then they came for the Dreamers
Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.
www.motherjones.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Today the Supreme Court heard a very, very technical case about whether a government contractors (in this case, private prison company GEO Group) should get essentially qualified immunity for contractors (I'm oversimplifying). The answer, it seems, will be no.
news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...
Justices Doubt Timing of Immunity Appeal in GEO Wage Case (1)
Several US Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of GEO Group Inc.’s argument that it can immediately appeal a lower court’s rejection of its immunity defense to escape forced labor claims from im...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Looks like his 15 minutes is going to turn into a lot more…
An immigration enforcement officer who shot a US citizen in Chicago last month bragged about the incident in texts afterwards, according to court documents filed in federal court on Wednesday.
A Border Patrol agent bragged about shooting someone, texts show
"Sweet. My fifteen mins of fame. Lmao."
www.motherjones.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:16 PM
W/ immigrant detention constantly in the news, I share my portfolio of peer-reviewed research on harms of this system. In @jamanetworkopen.com, we show alarmingly high prevalence of poor health, mental illness & PTSD for all, w/ esp high rates for those detained 6+mo. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
November 6, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Spoiler alert: there is very little mention of the students’ immigrant origins & almost exclusive focus on English language acquisition.
August 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
We analyze California’s Teacher Performance Expectations to see which skills & knowledge teacher candidates are supposed to develop during their training program to prepare them to teach children of immigrant backgrounds.
August 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
Quite a world when a federal judge has to call in a federal official to specifically tell him he can't use tear gas on children in Halloween costumes
October 28, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
JUST IN: Federal judge tells U.S. Border Patrol Gregory Bovino to have his own body-worn camera by Friday.

Bovino told her he has no camera, and he's not been trained to use one.
Ellis asks Bovino if he has a body-worn camera.

Bovino: "I do not ma'am, no. I've not yet received a body-worn camera or the training."

Ellis: "How about by Friday, you get a camera?"
October 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
NBC has a story on this as well already, and they've got an indicative quote as to how things will go:

"'The mentality is CBP does what they’re told, and the administration thinks ICE isn’t getting the job done,;' one of the DHS officials said. 'So CBP will do it." www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
Trump plans to install Border Patrol officials to lead a more aggressive migrant crackdown
The White House has approved a list of ICE leaders to be replaced by Border Patrol officials in coming days amid disappointment with arrest numbers.
www.nbcnews.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Isn’t this the dude that encouraged Clinton to “get tough on migration” by signing IIRIRA?
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday a decision on whether to pursue the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination comes down to whether he thinks he can meet “both the challenge and the promise of tomorrow” and execute on it.
Rahm Emanuel points to record, trust with Republicans as he considers presidential bid
Former Chicago mayor and Japan ambassador Rahm Emanuel said at a City Club of Chicago luncheon he needs to have something unique to say and know he can execute on it to run for president.
trib.al
October 24, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
The Sun-Times is reporting Border Patrol took at least two teenage boys today when they hit Little Village, again.

One is said to be a 16-year old student, U.S. citizen, and student at Benito Juarez Community Academy.
Federal agents detain Little Village high school student, deploy tear gas in faceoff with protesters
Feds wearing military-style camouflage gear and gas masks were seen tear-gassing and pepper-spraying protesters during the confrontation near a discount mall.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Patler
CPS confirms a landscaper detained this week was on district property. It appears to be the first time a @chipubschools.bsky.social vendor or employee was picked up during the federal immigration enforcement campaign. chicago.suntimes.com/education/20... by @mannycam.bsky.social
Immigration enforcement reaches CPS doorstep, renewing questions about student, community safety
CPS confirms a landscaper detained this week was on district property. It appears to be the first time a CPS vendor or employee was picked up during the federal immigration enforcement campaign.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:45 PM