Sarah R. Meiners, PhD

Early planning documents reviewed by WIRED describe a statewide transport grid designed for steady detainee transfers across Texas, with ICE estimating each trip to average 100 miles. Every county would have its own small, around-the-clock team of contractors collecting immigrants from local authorities deputized by ICE. It is a subtle transfer of the physical custody process into the hands of a private security firm—authorized to carry firearms and perform transport duties “in any and all local, county, state, and ICE locations.”

NEW: ICE is planning to build a shadow deportation network in Texas. A proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.

My latest @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...

In Utah, Trump’s Vision for Homelessness Begins to Take Shape

Under Trump, the draconian future of homelessness policy is coming into focus: mass internment. Utah is building a 16-acre site to detain up to 1,300 homeless people inside locked "accountability centers." This is profoundly alarming.

Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:

T H E W H I T E H OU S E W A S H I N G T O N S e p t e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 2 5 P r e s i d e n t i a l D e t e r m i n a t i o n N o . _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 0 2 5 - 1 3 _ _ _ _ _ MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, in accordance with section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), and after appropriate consultations with the Congress, I hereby make the following determinations and authorize the following actions: The admissions of up to 7,500 refugees to the United States during Fiscal Year 2026 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest. The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa pursuant to Executive Order 14204, and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands. Refugee admissions under this determination, which may reach but not exceed the numerical limit described herein, are in all respects subject to the requirements of other Presidential policies and actions, whether issued prior or subsequent to this determination. Those Presidential policies and actions include, but are not limited to: Executive Order 14161, which mandates that refugees receive the most stringent identification verification of any class of alien seeking admission or entry to the United States; Executive Order 14163, which suspends the entry into the United States of refugees other than when the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security jointly determine that an admission is in the national interest and does not threaten the security or welfare of the United States; Executive Order 14204, which provides for refugee resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination; and …

NEW: Trump has announced that the US will admit the lowest level of refugees ever at 7,500 in FY 2026. The US will only be admitting as refugees White people from South Africa and "victims of illegal or unjust discrimination," which leaked memos suggest means far-right Europeans.

Thank you!

Look amazing! How finely do you grind the tea leaves?

No. No. No.

The American Samoa Historic Preservation Office in Tafuna, American Samoa.

#TBT: On October 30, 2012, the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office hosted Holger Droessler, then an American Studies graduate student from Harvard University. Droessler, now Pasquines' American Samoa Affairs Associate Editor, visited to access local historical documents and reports.

NEW YORK GOVERNOR HOCHUL DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY TO ISSUE $65 MILLION FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE AS FEDERAL FOOD AID SET TO LAPSE NOVEMBER 1

White House fires entire commission that reviews designs for federal buildings The White House has fired all six members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the independent federal agency that reviews design plans for monuments, memorials, coins and federal buildings.

So, there is no oversight or approval committee for the ballroom or the dumbass arch that he plans on beautifying DC with? Now there's a surprise.

#USDemocracy

www.npr.org/2025/10/29/n...

Trump Admin Attempts To Ban Trans Youth Care Nationwide With New Federal Rules Three new rules pushed by the Trump administration may serve as the next wave of a federal crackdown on trans youth care.

1. This morning, a flurry of movement in federal rulemaking signals Trump's intent to ban transgender youth care nationwide.

If these rules go into effect, the administration may be successful in doing so.

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I will speak on my new book at Dartmouth College tmw 10/30 at 12:30pm, focusing on the last chapter: Self-Determination in the Age of Globalization: register here forms.gle/C1892JBQZUdy...
To connect via Zoom, follow this link:
dartmouth.zoom.us/j/9655445568....
Meeting ID: 965 5445 5680

Is Mussab Ali Jersey City's Answer to Zohran Mamdani? Only Tuesday's Election Will Tell “Politicians are the OG influencers,” Ali, the youngest candidate in Jersey City, New Jersey’s mayoral race, told Teen Vogue.

welcome to @teenvogue.com new series Challengers: talking to candidates either challenging an incumbent candidate who isn't meeting the moment—or challenging the political system's expectations of what a candidate can look like

up first @mussabali.bsky.social, 28, who might be Jersey City's Zohran

DeSantis Aims to Block H-1B Hiring at Florida Universities Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ordering the state board governing public universities to stop the hiring of workers on H-1B specialty occupation visas.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he plans to "pull the plug" on hiring of H-1B workers at universities in his state.

#immigration #highered #H1Bvisa

If any of Lia Smith's friends wants to talk to me, I'd love to uplift her story and her life. DMs are open.

Brown's campus-wide semiquincentennial initiative #Brown2026 invites applications for a one-year open-rank position, either as a Visiting Fellow or a Visiting Senior Fellow, for the 2026-2027 academic year. applications will be read starting on December 15, 2025 apply.interfolio.com/175860?fbcli...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Hidden Histories of Unauthorized Migrations from Europe to the United States. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the web... European migrants are often depicted as the nation’s iconic legal immigrants, yet Europeans did enter and remain in the US without proper authorization. In this webinar, our experts will tell the stor...

Join us Nov 12 for Hidden Histories and learn from our panel of experts about about European immigrants who entered the US without proper authorization. More info at z.umn.edu/HiddenHistories @carlygoodman.bsky.social @kangborderlaw.bsky.social @illinoispress.bsky.social @vliz.be @iehs.bsky.social

Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.

Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.

I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."

It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views

🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.

Not mincing words.

Book Event: In “The Gates of the Sea” Geographer Luna Vives Examines Migrant Search and Rescue in the Mediterranean Please join me on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 2:00–3:00 PM EST for a virtual discussion with fellow geographer and longtime friend Luna Vives about her new book The Gates of the Sea. If you’re…

Book Talk this Week: Luna Vives presents "The Gates of the Sea"—a geographic examination of migrant search and rescue in the Mediterranean. Free | Registration required | Link below

austinkocher.substack.com/p/book-event...

As a Brewers fan, I sincerely hope the Blue Jays demolish the Dodgers.

Adding this to my list! Thanks for the rec

Let's keeping thinking with @renatakeller.bsky.social on the anniversary of the crisis about the Cuban Missile Crisis and especially about the ways in which it unfolded across the Central and South America in fascinating, complicated, and multidirectional ways...🗃️

Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans Senators, House members and even a mayor expressed outrage and demanded accountability after our investigation detailed how at least 170 citizens have been held by immigration agents this year.

“Over 170 U.S. Citizens are being arrested. Why? Because they look like me,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California said, referencing our reporting. “Or because they are suspected to not be a U.S. citizen, or because they are suspected of crimes they have not committed.”

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues.

Interested in the ways that the Caribbean (and Pacific) drug strikes are unlawful?

@justsecurity.org has 15 Articles (!) from experts @becingber.bsky.social @bcfinucane.bsky.social @martylederman.bsky.social @seharrison7.bsky.social @mikeschmitt.bsky.social

www.justsecurity.org/120753/colle...

Excited for your talk and for your visit! My copy of the book is in the mail!

Boston area friends - I'll be in town for book talks at Boston University (Monday, Oct 27), Northeastern (Wednesday, Oct 29), and Dartmouth (Thurs, Oct 30). Come if you can!

Join us next Tuesday to hear about my book Box 25:Archival Secrets, Caribbean Workers, and the Panama Canal. @laborlawchajournal.bsky.social @lawcha.bsky.social thanks to @iehs.bsky.social for organizing this!

ICE conducts raid on Chinatown’s Canal Street, multiple people detained as New Yorkers rage | amNewYork The operation began at about 3 p.m. in the area of Centre and Canal Streets where ICE agents showed up to question street vendors as part of an alleged

www.amny.com/news/ice-age...

Exclusive: US set to transfer Caribbean strike survivors overseas instead of POW-style detention President Donald Trump's administration is moving to send the two survivors of a Thursday strike in the Caribbean to a different country rather than seek long-term military detention for them, four U.S. officials told Reuters on Saturday.

Exclusive: US set to transfer Caribbean strike survivors overseas instead of POW-style detention reut.rs/4ngaR6L

Just reading now and will finish shortly, our historical moment in Chicago in the "age of ICE" ... worthy of a close read @geraldo-cadava.bsky.social in the New Yorker🗃️