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Arelis R. Hernández

@arelisrhdz.bsky.social
3.5K followers 581 following 164 posts

National reporter @washingtonpost in Texas, covering border, immigration and fronterizo life. Sometimes and preferably in 🇵🇷 | On Signal @arehernandez.19 | Story idea? arelis.hernandez@washpost.com

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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 12h
Mourners blamed the young Haitian immigrant’s, Pierre Damas Bel, death on President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign. Trump’s supporters said ICE needs to do more. wapo.st/4zivpC2
wapo.st
As Trump rallies his base in Ohio, a Haitian migrant is laid to rest nearby
Mourners in Springfield, Ohio, blamed Pierre Damas Bel’s death on President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign. Trump’s supporters said ICE needs to do more.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Latino civil rights groups and Denver sued the Trump administration on Thursday, invoking a law Congress passed in the final months of the Civil War. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Sending armed ICE agents to polling places would be a federal crime, lawsuit says
Latino civil rights groups and Denver sued the Trump administration on Thursday, invoking a law Congress passed in the final months of the Civil War.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 09/09/2026
Scores of immigrants from El Salvador who have been shielded from deportation for decades because of ongoing violence and natural disasters in their homeland could now face removal from the United States after their benefits expire today.
washingtonpost.com
They were given refuge in the U.S. for decades. Now their benefit is expiring.
Immigrants from El Salvador were the first group granted temporary protected status. The Trump administration has been canceling it for scores of immigrants fleeing war and disaster.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
DOJ has taken few visible steps to investigate the dozens of documented shootings involving DHS personnel participating in Trump's immigration crackdown www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... @jeremyrroebuck.bsky.social @silviafosterfrau.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Rare charges against ICE agent highlight DOJ’s broader retreat from shooting probes
The case against Christian Castro is unprecedented in President Donald Trump’s second term, as ICE agents face little fallout from shootings of protesters and others.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 03/09/2026
Last year, Casey Revkin learned that parents at the South Texas Family Residential Center reported finding cockroaches in their food and said their children were vomiting after drinking the tap water. “I wanted to help fix some of that,” Revkin said. wapo.st/3UwpwSt
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 03/09/2026
Casey Revkin, a California mom, sends more than $10,000 a week through her nonprofit, Each Step Home, to families being held at a Texas detention center so that they can buy food and other essentials at the commissary.
washingtonpost.com
California mom sends $10,000 a week to buy food for kids in ICE detention
Casey Revkin gives money to hundreds of families at a Texas family detention facility so that they can buy food their children will eat.
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Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
ICE detainees say they’ve been served food that’s undercooked, spoiled or infested with bugs. They can buy commissary food, but it’s expensive. So self-described California mom Casey Revkin is channeling more than $10,000/week in donations to feed hundreds of kids @arelisrhdz.bsky.social reports
washingtonpost.com
She’s feeding hundreds of kids in ICE detention using commissary accounts
Casey Revkin gives money to hundreds of families at a Texas family detention facility so that they can buy food their children will eat.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Casey Revkin, through donations to the Each Step Home nonprofit, gives money to hundreds of families at a Texas family detention facility so they can buy food their children will eat. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
California mom sends $10,000 a week to buy food for kids in ICE detention
Casey Revkin gives money to hundreds of families at a Texas family detention facility so that they can buy food their children will eat.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"“He felt like he was treated like an animal:" a Haitian immigrant who had grown distraught after losing his deportation protection and being outfitted with an ankle monitor died in what his family believes was a suicide www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/... @arelisrhdz.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
College student steps into traffic, is killed after losing immigration status
Pierre Damas Bel’s family said he took his own life on a busy highway after the Trump administration canceled protections for thousands of Haitian immigrants and ICE officers placed him in an ankle mo...
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
“This isn’t a country where anyone should be deported right now…” www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE begins deporting Haitians who lost TPS back to homeland
Community leaders said Thursday’s removal flight was one of the largest they had seen and included people who were detained in recent weeks.
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Kate Morrissey, Journalist @bgirledukate.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
My latest dives into an under-covered issue: Mexican children deported alone by plane to southern Mexico. www.daylightsandiego.org/u-s-has-depo...
daylightsandiego.org
U.S. Has Deported Hundreds of Children to Cities in Southern Mexico
Human rights organizations said the minors lack the resources to go home safely and that some may have died trying. Written by Kate Morrissey, Capital & Main This article was produced by C...
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The confusion and lack of details about plans for the National park border infrastructure has frustrated locals and people who love the Big Bend. It remains the part of the border with the lowest levels of illegal entry in part because of the rough terrain that makes it so wild. wapo.st/4fOLHvq
wapo.st
Bulldozing begins at Big Bend National Park for border construction
Environmentalists say the planned patrol roads, vehicle barriers and cameras will irreversibly reshape the renowned park in Texas.
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Human Rights First @humanrightsfirst.org · 05/08/2026
Especially gutting to read this news the same week as @marialuisapaul.bsky.social & @arelisrhdz.bsky.social's haunting piece about the agonizing search by families & loved ones for passengers of Flight 164, which landed just hours before the quakes. Most of the passengers perished or remain missing.
washingtonpost.com
Deported by the U.S., detained in Venezuela — then lost in the earthquakes
The immigrants aboard Flight 164 were pursuing lives in the U.S. when ICE detained them. In Venezuela, they were held in a building that collapsed hours later.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
ICE is beginning to outfit Haitian immigrants with ankle monitors after the Trump admin ended their deportation protections www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE begins outfitting Haitian immigrants with ankle monitors, attorneys say
Haitian immigrants in Ohio with temporary protected status are being called to ICE offices for check-ins after federal officials said their protections had ended.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 04/08/2026
DHS has begun summoning Haitian immigrants in Ohio to check-in appointments with officers who are outfitting them with ankle monitors, in what appears to be a new enforcement effort after the Supreme Court allowed the end their humanitarian protections.
washingtonpost.com
ICE begins outfitting Haitian immigrants with ankle monitors, attorneys say
Haitian immigrants in Ohio with temporary protected status are being called to ICE offices for check-ins after federal officials said their protections had ended.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
DHS chief faces crisis moment amid mounting arrests, fatal shootings www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
DHS chief faces crisis moment amid mounting arrests, fatal shootings
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s attempt to quell an uproar over two fatal shootings by ICE has angered the president and his hard-line base.
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Mary Harris @maryharris.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
While I was in the middle of interviewing @arelisrhdz.bsky.social about one ICE killing in Texas, there was another killing in Maine. Which is a good indicator of where we're at
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
ICE officer shoots and kills man in Maine, prompting state investigation www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE officer shoots and kills man in Maine, prompting state investigation
Authorities did not identify the man who was killed, but an advocacy group said he was a 26-year-old Colombian national.
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Lizzie O'Leary @lizzieohreally.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Please take the time to listen to @maryharris.bsky.social and @arelisrhdz.bsky.social. Arelis is simply one of the best reporters in the country. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com
How ICE Keeps Killing
Podcast Episode · What Next | Daily News and Analysis · July 14 · 27m
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
A reminder if there are federal officers on this app who have thoughts to share now that we have two incidents in which ICE agents killed people, please reach out securely. The public trust is broken and we could always use more information and context. Details at the code.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Loved spending time with these students and their teachers.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
NEW: It‘s not easy trying to find answers to the disputed fatal ICE shooting. But we tried to get every piece of evidence we could thanks in large part to the Houston community who wants answers. We analyzed the available video and here’s what we found: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
What videos show about ICE’s pursuit of immigrant’s van before Houston shooting
Surveillance footage captures ICE agents following an undocumented Mexican immigrant's van in the minutes before fatally shooting him in Houston.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: “That’s a lie,” wrote one man arrested alongside Lorenzo Salgado Araujo about DHS account that officers were rammed. The men who witnessed the shooting dispute key elements of ICE version of events — from ICE detention. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
Migrants who saw man killed by ICE in Houston say he did not ram officers
Three men who were in the vehicle alongside Lorenzo Salgado Araujo are contesting the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting.
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Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
He saw a video of a Mexican man shot by ICE. It was his father. @arelisrhdz.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
He saw a video of a Mexican man shot by ICE. It was his father.
The eldest child of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo said his father was “a family man” who was likely frightened by the unmarked vehicles following him.
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Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) @cliniclegal.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
This reported information highlights GEO Group's immense influence over the federal agency that is both its regulator and biggest customer. wapo.st/4giIJjm
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 16/06/2026
Daphy Michel, a Haitian asylum seeker with untreated mental health issues, died of hypothermia after being released by ICE. Security footage shows Michel sitting on a bus stop bench for days in cold temperatures. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
washingtonpost.com
Death of woman released by ICE on a winter day is now ruled a homicide
Security footage shows Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old asylum seeker from Haiti, sitting on a bus stop bench for days in cold temperatures.
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Reynaldo Leaños Jr. @reynaldoleanosjr.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
This June marks 10 years since one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Jorshua Hernández Carrión, a survivor of the shooting, tells us his healing journey and his search for accountability.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Immigration judges are seeing their dockets multiply as part of the Trump administration’s push to speed up deportations. Attorneys for the immigrants worry due process rights will be violated as a result. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
One judge, 143 cases: A day inside new high-stakes mass immigration hearings
Immigration judges are seeing their dockets multiply as part of the Trump administration’s push to speed up deportations. Attorneys for the immigrants worry due process rights will be violated as a re...
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Read the story here: www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/... Construction contracts — including a $2.6B award this week — are being awarded at a historic scale through a streamlined process that could put Trump on track to realize his vision for a border wall.
washingtonpost.com
Spike in border wall spending goes mostly to 2 firms with GOP, White House ties
Construction contracts are being awarded at a historic scale through a streamlined process that could put Trump on track to realize his vision for a border wall.
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Andrew Ba Tran @abtran.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Nearly 93 percent of all border wall spending over the past decade happened in this year and last, according to our analysis. The spike in border wall spending goes mostly to 2 firms with GOP, White House ties. wapo.st/3PMfxqi
Nearly 93% of all border wall spending over the last decade happened in 2025 and 2026.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17/05/2026
Flock Safety has built a network of automatic license plate readers in more than 6,000 communities across the country in recent years. Its system uses AI-enabled cameras to snap photos of every vehicle that passes, creating a digital “fingerprint.”
washingtonpost.com
AI license plate cameras tore this town apart and led to a state of emergency
In Troy, New York, residents and city officials are at odds over police use of Flock cameras, which some call a safety tool and others see as surveillance.
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Maria Sacchetti - reporter - The Washington Post @mariasacchetti.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
NEW She was deported without her toddler. Then ICE blamed her for his killing. wapo.st/4wyzH7u
wapo.st
She was deported without her toddler. Then ICE blamed her for his killing.
ICE accused Wendy Hernandez Reyes of leaving her child with a violent uncle, but she says her son would still be alive if officers hadn’t detained and deported her.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
More of the men being deported now have lived in the U.S. for years www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
More of the men being deported now have lived in the U.S. for years
In another shift, nearly 2 in 3 of those removed since January 2025 do not have criminal records.
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Maria Sacchetti - reporter - The Washington Post @mariasacchetti.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
Immigrants are giving up their cases and leaving the U.S. in soaring numbers
People facing the prospect of prolonged ICE detention are increasingly abandoning their claims for humanitarian protection and agreeing to depart voluntarily.
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
So we all know what's happened to the Washington Post, and I'm grateful that so many of the heavy hitters who left have found new outlets. But the reporters and editors who remain, or recently joined, continue to do great work. Why? Because this is why you go into the profession.
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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
For anyone who thought that stupid border wall was a relic of Trump’s first term: it isn’t. Trump Republicans in Congress set aside billions last year to build wall through Big Bend National Park & the surrounding remote desert. By @arelisrhdz.bsky.social & colleagues [gift link] wapo.st/4bVCIGB
wapo.st
A massive border wall expansion is underway
The aggressive pace of expansion has alarmed advocates who say the construction will destroy pristine country, threaten endangered species, and cut off access to sacred Indigenous and archaeological s...
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Big Bend National and Ranch state parks are what Texans call the “crown jewel” of the state. Residents there are fighting to stop any border wall construction that may disrupt their wildlife, environment and way of life. It’s an issue facing park and protected lands across the SW. wapo.st/4bVCIGB
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Public lands/parks in AZ, NM, TX our country protected are slated for border wall. The costs are steep. TX’s Big Bend is stunning & loved by its community. Wall is coming despite having few crossings there. The fight is on. w/ @jakespring.bsky.social @johnmuyskens.bsky.social wapo.st/4bVCIGB
wapo.st
A massive border wall expansion is underway
The aggressive pace of expansion has alarmed advocates who say the construction will destroy pristine country, threaten endangered species, and cut off access to sacred Indigenous and archaeological s...
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National Press Club Journalism Institute @npcinstitute.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Join us next week for an important conversation on covering immigration safely and with care. We'll hear from experienced reporters & editors about their experiences on the ground. With @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social, @arelisrhdz.bsky.social, @jcollins.bsky.social, Michelle Zenarosa
pressclubinstitute.org
Covering Immigration Safely and with Care - Journalism Institute
With immigration enforcement directives among the most politicized and contentious topics in the U.S., reporters on the beat face growing threats on the ground and online. Local and national journalis...
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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
20 years from now, maybe sooner, this will be remembered as an infamous episode in American history, on par with the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. Reporting on ICE and children by @arelisrhdz.bsky.social & @marialuisapaul.bsky.social [gift link] wapo.st/3LWg1rT
wapo.st
Judge ordered 5-year-old released, but data shows ICE is detaining more kids
As family detentions spike, the Trump administration is increasingly ensnaring the youngest, and most vulnerable, lawyers and advocates say.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Judge ordered 5-year-old released, but data shows ICE is detaining more kids www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/... w/ @marialuisapaul.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Judge ordered 5-year-old released, but data shows ICE is detaining more kids
As family detentions spike, the Trump administration is increasingly ensnaring the youngest, and most vulnerable, lawyers and advocates say.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Out came the story about what it feels like to lose everything.” Read @newsbysamuels.bsky.social incredible profile of a figure skater who lost his parents in the DCA plane crash a year ago, and is now headed to the Olympics www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics
After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.
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Alejandro Serrano @serranoalej.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Texas passed a '23 immigration law in response to record border crossings under the Biden admin. Today, a challenge to the law returns to court under v diff circumstances: crossings are low + TX is helping the Trump admin + the DOJ is no longer a plaintiff. www.texastribune.org/2026/01/22/t...
texastribune.org
Appeals court to reconsider 2023 Texas immigration law, SB 4
Senate Bill 4 returns to the 5th Circuit with border crossings at record lows, a sharp reversal from the influx that inspired Texas’ law authorizing state police to arrest undocumented immigrants.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
NEW: Her wail at the border as Trump took office went viral — and echoes today Video of a Colombian migrant crying after her CBP One appointment had been canceled was viewed millions of times. A year later, we checked in on her and she still hopes to cross legally. wapo.st/4r6z2a0
wapo.st
Her wail at the border as Trump took office went viral — and echoes today
Video of a Colombian migrant crying after her CBP One appointment had been canceled was viewed millions of times. A year later, she still hopes to cross legally.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
ICE released the young refugee in this story but the details of what happened inside detention and how refugees of all backgrounds are being shipped to Texas for “re-interviews” is still unfolding and should be cause for major concern for legal immigrants and citizens. More reporting coming…
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Trump Justice Department enters new territory with probe of Walz, Frey. By @patrickdmarley @yabutaleb7: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump Justice Department enters new territory with probe of Walz, Frey
The agency is targeting critics during a moment of crisis in which protesters are clashing with federal agents on icy city streets.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
family is still fighting to liberate their son in ICE for unexplained reasons.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 15/01/2026
Tribal leaders and members who live in the greater Minneapolis area say Indigenous family members, friends and neighbors have been stopped, questioned, harassed and, in some cases, detained solely on the basis of their skin color or their names.
wapo.st
Native Americans are being swept up by ICE in Minneapolis, tribes say
Tribal leaders say Indigenous people have been stopped, questioned, harassed and, in some cases, detained solely on the basis of their skin color or names.
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Arelis R. Hernández @arelisrhdz.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
BIG news on the refugee front: ICE arrested a Minnesota refugee family’s son, who they say has no criminal record, w/o explanation. Experts & advocates say they have never seen this happen with vetted refugees and aren’t clear what the legal grounds are: www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
They arrived as refugees but now are detained in Trump’s Minneapolis crackdown
Lawyers and immigrant advocates say dozens of legal migrants who arrived as vetted refugees and have protections from deportation have been detained in Minnesota.
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