Tony Hernandez

Sharon’s story is one of terror, courage, and resilience — a reminder of the enduring human spirit that survives even in the darkest of moments.

‘Mom, if anything happens to me, I love you. There’s a war here.’ My mom called me like crazy, but I couldn’t answer her. No one really knew what was happening. We had no help. We were alone, running through an open field with missiles in the sky. Everything was a life-or-death situation."

“By 8:00 AM, I already felt like I was going to die. I felt like they were going to kill me because I was seeing people dying — people being killed right behind me. There was nowhere to go; we were surrounded. And I took a moment to write to my mother...

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)

Jimmy Kimmel’s Show to Return to ABC on Tuesday Night

Jimmy Kimmel’s Show to Return to ABC on Tuesday Night www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/b...

Not surprised. All of us who lived through that moment in time have been deeply affected.

My family left Cuba because we believed in the promise of America — freedom, opportunity, and the right to speak without fear. If we let censorship and intimidation take root here, we risk becoming the very society we once fled.

Democracy depends on the free exchange of ideas — even unpopular ones. We don’t have to agree with someone to defend their right to speak. We must protect open debate, or we will lose far more than we gain.

When I see people celebrate the deplatforming of those they disagree with, or when I see political leaders call for limiting certain voices “for the public good,” I hear echoes of the country my parents risked everything to escape.

I’m not saying the U.S. is Cuba. But I am saying that silencing people — whether through government action, corporate pressure, or online mobs — is a dangerous road. Once freedom of speech erodes, everything else follows.

Censorship wasn’t presented as censorship. It was presented as “protecting the revolution” and “combating misinformation.” That language sounded noble at first — until we realized it meant there was no space for dissenting voices.

In Cuba, the first thing the regime did was seize control of the media. Independent voices were silenced. Critical journalists were smeared, jailed, or exiled. Soon, there was only one “truth” — the one the government approved.

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.

ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments

ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

Thank you!

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.

E.P.A. To Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters

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...

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.

NEW from me: Latin Music Business Suffers as Trump’s Assault on Immigrants Expands

www.thebulwark.com/p/latin-musi... via @thebulwark.com

There Will Be More Kilmar Abrego Garcias A dark day in American history—and what the hell comes next.

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

‘Defund the Police’ triggered enormous outrage. Yet defunding education, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, veterans' care, science, public health, the FBI, and national security? Crickets.

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.

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...

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…

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.

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.

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...

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.

Immigration Groups Need Money. Dem Donors Are Too Scared to Write Checks.
www.thebulwark.com/p/immigratio...

Her words resonate even more today, highlighting the profound resilience and unwavering hope that sustain families through unimaginable hardships. I pray that she may soon be reunited with her son Eitan who remains in captivity.
#Strength #Hope #Family #ImmigrantArchiveProject

Ruth, "I didn't realize I was so strong, but I believe any mother would do everything possible to see her children again. At this moment, I hold onto the small things in life to find the strength to keep going—a song, a walk, a movie. Those moments will give you the strength to move forward."

As I celebrate her reunion with one of her sons, I reflect on our conversation from February of last year. My final question to her was: "Ruth, you are an incredibly strong woman. For other mothers facing difficult times, what can they learn from you?"

As I celebrate her reunion with one of her sons, I reflect on our conversation from February of last year. My final question to her was: "Ruth, you are an incredibly strong woman. For other mothers facing difficult times, what can they learn from you?"

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.

“DE&I is not a threat, it’s a gift.” - Alicia Keys, Grammy Awards, 2025