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Tony Hernandez

@tonyhtonyh.bsky.social
390 followers 257 following 163 posts

Filmmaker & Oral Historian Uncovering the moments that shape remarkable lives. substack.com/@theimmigrantarchive

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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Refuge Lisset was a child carrying much more than any child should have to carry. Carol Kirkbride was the teacher who noticed. Sometimes, that is where a life begins to change. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
Refuge
How one teacher helped a frightened child feel seen, valued, and protected
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Johnny Hincapie said it quietly when we first sat down for coffee in New York City. “My innocence is real.” At 18 he was sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit & spent the next 25 years fighting for his freedom. My new essay, is about Johnny’s story. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
Wrongful Conviction and the Fragility of the Immigrant Experience
Johnny Hincapie said it quietly, without a hint of drama, when we first sat down for coffee in New York City.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
In my latest essay, Lessons in Resistance from Cuba's Most Prominent Dissident, I explore what Ferrer's life can teach us about standing up to authoritarianism and the responsibilities we all share when freedom comes under pressure. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
Lessons in Resistance from Cuba's Most Prominent Dissident
What an oral history interview with José Daniel Ferrer reveals about fear, courage, and the struggle for human dignity.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
How Japan Lost 3 Million People in Five Years www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
How Japan Lost 3 Million People in Five Years
Japan’s population fell by more than 3 million over the past five years, a record drop that underscores the depths of the country’s accelerating demographic crisis.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
About time: Judge Bars ICE From Making Immigration Arrests at Courts in New York www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/n...
nytimes.com
Judge Bars ICE From Making Immigration Arrests at Courts in New York
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Over 100,000 Family Separations in Deportation Push, Report Estimates www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/u...
nytimes.com
Over 100,000 Family Separations in Deportation Push, Report Estimates
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
We begin filming Inside the Cuban Heritage Collection on May 15th. I wrote a short essay about why this project means so much to me—and why these stories matter. Honored to bring this to life. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
Finding Ourselves
Inside the Cuban Heritage Collection
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Now they want to censor the Pope: Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/u...
nytimes.com
Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
In Supreme Court Justices’ Histories, a Story of Immigration in America www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/u...
nytimes.com
In Supreme Court Justices’ Histories, a Story of Immigration in America
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
"I hope we can have more faith in the ordinary Americans, because every little change in the policy of the western country, it really, really affects our lives here." - Nazila, Art Gallery Owner, Iran. S4 E6 Iran, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
I'm watching Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown S4 E6: Iran. Bourdain is at his very best here, capturing a nation's humanity, which clearly reminds us of our own. It's a heartbreaking episode to watch at this moment in history.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
On Cultural Memory Cultural memory isn’t inherited—it’s passed down, intentionally. And now, it’s in our hands. I explore this idea in my latest essay: open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
On Cultural Memory
What We Forget, We Lose
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Chuck Norris, White-Belt Actor, Dies at 86 www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/m...
nytimes.com
Chuck Norris, Black-Belt Action Star of Movies and Television, Dies at 86
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
For two decades, I’ve interviewed immigrants from around the world for the Immigrant Archive Project. Their stories changed how I understand resilience, ambition, and America itself. I’m now sharing those lessons on Substack. I invite you to follow: substack.com/@theimmigran...
substack.com
The Immigrant Archive | Substack
Filmmaker, Storyteller, Oral Historian, Author CEO - Latino Broadcasting Company Founder, Immigrant Archive Project
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Trump always seems like that kid in high school who never prepared and repeatedly chose to wing it in front of the class. Everything he says is nonsense. All of it made up on the fly. And sadly this also applies to this war with Iran.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
There has to be a special place in hell for these policymakers: U.S. Considers Withholding H.I.V. Aid Unless Zambia Expands Minerals Access www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/h...
nytimes.com
U.S. Considers Withholding H.I.V. Aid Unless Zambia Expands Minerals Access
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
The Grift Continues— TikTok Investors Set to Pay $10 Billion Fee to Trump Administration www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/b...
nytimes.com
TikTok Investors Set to Pay $10 Billion Fee to Trump Administration
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
May all three find the same fate as Ian Huntley: Alexander Brothers Found Guilty of Sex Trafficking www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/n...
nytimes.com
Alexander Brothers Found Guilty of All Counts in Sex Trafficking Trial
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Freedom can feel permanent when you’ve never seen it disappear. Political refugees know better. Their memory reminds us why freedom must be protected. Memory protects freedom. New essay: open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
Memory Protects Freedom
What Exiles Teach Us About America
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Rhode Island Priests Abused Hundreds of Children Over Decades, Report Finds www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/u...
nytimes.com
Rhode Island Priests Abused Hundreds of Children Over Decades, Report Finds
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Too Little, Too Late? — Under Pressure from Trump, Cuban Leader Calls for ‘Urgent’ Economic Change www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/w...
nytimes.com
Under Pressure from Trump, Cuban Leader Calls for ‘Urgent’ Economic Change
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
When I interviewed Victoria Alonso, then President of Marvel Studios, she described success in a way I’ve never forgotten. It’s choosing the harder road — long after you no longer have to. My latest essay, The Left Turn, is now live on Substack. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
The Left Turn
On Discipline, Daughters, and the 8:05 That Defines Success
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Last week, I began publishing on Substack. With a simple intention: to share my personal observation of stories that matter. Stories that preserve memory. Stories that reveal how lives are actually built—not in theory, but in lived experience. I invite you to follow. substack.com/@theimmigran...
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Before We Were "Latinos", we were from somewhere. Cuban. Mexican. Colombian. Dominican. We were not part of a category. We thought in terms of countries, towns, histories, and specific inheritances. I wrote about what changed — and what may have been lost — in my latest essay.
open.substack.com
Before We Were “Latino”
When Identity Had a Homeland
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Cuban Government Says 4 Are Killed in Gunfire Exchange With Florida Speedboat www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/w...
nytimes.com
Cuban Government Says 4 Are Killed in Gunfire Exchange With Florida Speedboat
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Most people live as if they have decades. Mike Fernandez chose to live seven days at a time. This mindset helped him become a self-made billionaire, build and sell dozens of companies, and emerge as one of Miami’s leading philanthropists. His story is now live on Substack. lnkd.in/eZtkH…
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Justice Dept. Sues U. of California After It Refused to Pay $1 Billion Fine www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/u...
nytimes.com
Justice Dept. Sues U. of California After It Refused to Pay $1 Billion Fine
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Reposted by Tony Hernandez
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 23/02/2026
Work alongside New York City's Strongest as we get through this historic storm.    Emergency shoveling pay is now $30/hour. Walk into any sanitation garage to sign up TODAY BY 8PM or TOMORROW from 9AM to 8PM.    Let's get NYC back on its feet— together. bit.ly/NYCShovel
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
I once interviewed a man who built a billion-dollar life based on a seven-day plan. Not a five-year plan. Not a ten-year plan. Seven days. His philosophy was born not in business—but in free fall. I’ll share his story this week on Substack.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Government records analyzed by The Guardian show that the majority—77%—of individuals entering deportation proceedings for the first time in 2025 had no criminal convictions, underscoring a notable discrepancy between official rhetoric and documented reality. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Worst of the worst? Most US immigrants targeted for deportation in 2025 had no criminal charges, documents reveal
A Guardian analysis finds the vast majority of people who entered deportation proceedings for the first time from January to August last year had no criminal convictions
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Immigrant children understand things early. We learn to translate. To adapt. To carry responsibilities. Today, I worry about them. I worry about what they are seeing. What they are hearing. What they are beginning to understand about the country they call home. open.substack.com/pub/theimmig...
open.substack.com
What Immigrant Children Understand
That’s me on the left.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Today marks two years since the October 7th attacks in Israel. In remembrance, I share this powerful testimony, translated from Spanish, from my Immigrant Archive Project interview with Sharon Truzman, a Venezuelan survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre. (Thread)
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Jimmy Kimmel’s Show to Return to ABC on Tuesday Night www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/b...
nytimes.com
Jimmy Kimmel’s Show to Return to ABC on Tuesday Night
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I was born in Cuba and lived through Fidel Castro’s rise to power. What I saw then still shapes the way I see the world today. And right now, what I see in the United States gives me pause.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...
nytimes.com
ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
The Immigrant Archive Project is reaching a new milestone. A collection of these powerful immigrant stories will soon be presented in a series of 1-hour, nationally televised programs — bringing the voices of immigrants into homes across the U.S. Details coming soon in our official announcement.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Time to take the “P” out of the E.P.A. - E.P.A. To Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/c...
nytimes.com
E.P.A. To Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters
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Reposted by Tony Hernandez
Adrian Carrasquillo @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
NEW from me: Latin Music Business Suffers as Trump’s Assault on Immigrants Expands www.thebulwark.com/p/latin-musi... via @thebulwark.com
thebulwark.com
Latin Music Business Suffers as Trump’s Assault on Immigrants Expands
Tour dates canceled, ticket sales down, artists’ visas revoked, and a climate of fear growing around shows that fans have attended for years.
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Reposted by Tony Hernandez
Adrian Carrasquillo @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
NEW from me on a dark day in American history: There Will Be More Kilmar Abrego Garcias www.thebulwark.com/p/there-will... via @thebulwark.bsky.social
thebulwark.com
There Will Be More Kilmar Abrego Garcias
A dark day in American history—and what the hell comes next.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
‘Defund the Police’ triggered enormous outrage. Yet defunding education, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, veterans' care, science, public health, the FBI, and national security? Crickets.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
What begins with immigrants rarely ends with them. Surveillance tech disguised as “alternatives to detention” is becoming detention by another name — shrinking lives, splitting families, and filling corporate pockets. We ignore it at our own peril. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/t...
nytimes.com
How Geo Group’s Surveillance Tech Is Aiding Trump’s Immigration Agenda
Geo Group, a private prison firm that makes digital tools to track immigrants, becomes one of the Trump administration’s big business winners as its tech is increasingly used in deportations.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
I felt compelled to put pen to paper this week, in light of some disturbing developments. I shared it with my friends at HispanicAd and they were kind enough to publish it.
linkedin.com
Why the Work of the Immigrant Archive Project is More Important Now Than… | Pedro de Cordoba
Important piece by Tony Hernández on the importance of countering the onslaught against the achievements of immigrants. His immigrant Archive Project is needed…
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Every single member of the Cuban diaspora should be ashamed of Marco Rubio's deplorable response to this historical debacle. - Rubio Attacks Zelensky, Firmly Defending Trump and Vance www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/u...
nytimes.com
Rubio Attacks Zelensky, Firmly Defending Trump and Vance
Facing a wave of criticism from his former Senate colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the complaints lobbed by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance against Ukraine’s leader.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Immigration Groups Need Money. Dem Donors Are Too Scared to Write Checks. www.thebulwark.com/p/immigratio...
thebulwark.com
Immigration Groups Need Money. Dem Donors Are Too Scared to Write Checks.
Leading advocates and fundraisers say their money is urgently needed as Trump presses for millions to be deported.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Today, after 498 days of captivity, Ruth Chimiel's son, Iair Horn, was released alongside Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Troufanov. I had the honor of interviewing Ruth in her home in Israel, for a documentary film I directed. Her strength, resilience, and optimism profoundly impacted our entire crew.
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
“DE&I is not a threat, it’s a gift.” - Alicia Keys, Grammy Awards, 2025
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
We need to take a page from Canada and Mexico and stop consuming red state products. Where do we begin? 1. Florida orange juice 2. Tennessee Whisky 3. Georgia Peaches Feel free to add to the list and share
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Like millions out there I’m in awe at the display of enormous black, brown, white, gay and straight talent on Grammy stage tonight! This is America! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
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Tony Hernandez @tonyhtonyh.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
I just learned that a 12-year-old, third-generation American-born relative of mine was detained by ICE today at her school near Jacksonville, FL, after a fellow student reported her as ‘illegal.’ She was released after her mother intervened. #immigration
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