Austin Kocher, PhD
@ackocher
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I study the immigration enforcement system. Geographer. Prof. in @NewhouseSU at @SyracuseU & Fellow at @Immigration_Lab/@AU_CLALS. Editor at @LawandSpace.
Baltimore, MD
Joined August 2013
At 17, Jose Barco was the youngest in his unit in Iraq. After a 2004 car bomb near Fallujah, he saved two fellow soldiers, suffering severe burns and earning a Purple Heart. Now he faces deportation. Read more here:
csmonitor.com
When noncitizen veterans make bad choices after their time in the military, they serve prison sentences and then face deportation. Is that fair?
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I can’t wait for The New York Times op ed from the chair of the Democratic National Committee making a case for why Marjorie Taylor Greene should be on the 2028 ticket.
President Trump just attacked me and lied about me. I haven’t called him at all, but I did send these text messages today. Apparently this is what sent him over the edge. The Epstein files. And of course he’s coming after me hard to make an example to scare all the other
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The shutdown may be over, but SNAP delays mean many New Yorkers still aren’t getting benefits. Food pantries are seeing longer lines and more people struggling with rising costs. @Documentedny @CestRommel Read more:
documentedny.com
Because SNAP benefits are issued a month in advance, many won’t see relief until well after the government reopens. Meanwhile, food pantries say the need for food has intensified even more.
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The Carlisle Borough Council approved a new ordinance (6–1) confirming that local police won’t handle civil immigration enforcement. Services also won’t depend on citizenship status. Mayor Schultz backed the decision. @Shultz4Carlisle @PennLive Link:
pennlive.com
The 6-1 vote follows months of heated debate, with supporters calling it a human rights stand while the lone dissenter warns of potential federal funding risks.
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ICE arrests in Kentucky are up nearly 40% this year, driven in part by financial incentives and expanding 287(g) agreements. Over 70% of those arrested had no criminal conviction. @kyforward Read about it here:
forwardky.com
Yet, more than 70% of those arrested had no criminal conviction.
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U.S. Catholic Bishops say we need meaningful immigration reform and that dignity and security aren’t opposing goals. Catholics, what are your thoughts? Read more about it:
wfaa.com
The bishops’ statement also calls for "meaningful immigration reform," insisting that human dignity and national security are not in conflict.
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Politicians posing with prisoners isn't new. This article traces its 100-year history as a "tough on crime" political prop. Read more:
wsls.com
Photos and video of immigrants in custody have been a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s administration, and illustrate his agenda to crack down on immigration.
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Trump Administration Conducts 10,067 Immigration Enforcement Flights in 10 Months ICE conducted record deportation and shuffle flights in ten months, chaotically transferring people between detention centers and deporting them to more countries. https://t.co/JkXVTyb9ea
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Many believe reducing immigration will help American workers. The data shows the opposite. Immigrants drive growth, fill essential jobs, boost innovation, and help keep Social Security solvent. Econofact breaks it down clearly. @EconoFactOrg Read more:
econofact.org
Immigration has accounted for almost half of U.S. labor force growth since 1995. Slower labor force growth would negatively impact employment and GDP growth.
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Over the course of Trump’s first term and the first nine months of his second term, the Trump Organization’s visa requests increased from 121 in 2021 to 184 in 2025, according to Forbes. @thehill Read more here:
thehill.com
The Trump Organization requested 184 foreign workers to work across various company properties, a record number that has increased over the years. The company sought to hire workers through H-2A an…
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If you care about keeping American families together, here's an important update about the AFU Act. We returned from Washington DC recently where 30 AFU Action members spent 3 days talking to nearly 60 representatives about what the AFU Act would mean for our families. 🧵
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615 people arrested by ICE this summer in Chicago must be released, a federal judge ruled, saying long-term residents can’t be held without bond. Read more about it here:
wbez.org
The 615 detainees are from a list of roughly 1,800 arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area between June 11 and Oct. 7, and there could be more to come.
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It is crucial to understand that a tragic number of people dangerously believe that the word "freedom" means not the expansion of freedom for others, but the freedom for themselves to oppress others, to control others, and to force their beliefs on others.
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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:
upi.com
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Harris County for allocating $1.35 million to oppose federal deportation efforts.
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“We gave an oath to this country, to stop authoritarianism. We’re here to protect this country and (stop) what’s happening with our government right now,” said Frank Harper, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam. Reported by: @oregonlive Read more:
oregonlive.com
“I didn’t carry a weapon so it could be turned against my own community," a veteran from Idaho told a crowd of well over 200.
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Digital tools are changing how states decide who migrants are—and who they’re not. This new paper introduces “regimes of proof,” a sharp framework for understanding how technology is reshaping identity, legality, and belonging. Read more: https://t.co/YMcRHWQeAR
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ICE is adding facial recognition, spyware, and social media tracking to its toolkit. Advocates warn these tools risk turning immigration enforcement into mass surveillance. Reported by @judejoffeblock Learn more about it here: https://t.co/2nZuFZlmre
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New: The Trump administration is moving to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia as soon as Friday, despite earlier promises to bring him to trial on federal charges. Judge Paula Xinis has blocked removal for now. @politico Link: https://t.co/BkPKwlvU8u
politico.com
The administration now says it is prepared to send the El Salvador native to Liberia.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers say he already picked Costa Rica for deportation. The government should honor that. Trying other countries looks like retaliation and violates his rights. Learn more about it here:
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After major public pushback, Center Line, MI has canceled its new ICE partnership just two weeks after approving it. Residents packed city hall with “ICE OUT” signs, urging leaders to listen—and they did. @nwarikoo Learn more about it here:
freep.com
Center Line officials had reached an agreement to work with ICE, but has now pulled out of the partnership.
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More than 50 people protested in downtown Tyler after Smith County renewed its ICE partnership under the 287(g) program. Organizers say it fuels racial profiling and fear; officials say it’s about safety, not raids. Read more about it here:
tylerpaper.com
Chants echoed downtown as people gathered with signs Thursday in Tyler to protest Smith County’s decision to accept reimbursements to fund the sheriff’s office partnership with the U.S. Immigration...
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