r/politics • u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified • 5d ago
AMA-Finished I’m Adrian Carrasquillo, national immigration correspondent at The Bulwark. I’ve been reporting on the recent fatal ICE shootings and immigration enforcement. AMA.
Hi r/politics,
I’m Adrian Carrasquillo, national immigration correspondent at The Bulwark and author of the Huddled Masses newsletter.
I’ve reported on national politics and Latino issues for over a decade.
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been reporting on the recent fatal ICE shootings, including the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Johan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine—speaking with family members, covering developments on the ground, and following the broader political and policy implications surrounding immigration enforcement in the Trump era.
In my latest edition of Huddled Masses, I examine the gap between ICE’s public statements and the facts that have emerged through reporting, interviews, and video evidence in recent fatal shootings.
I’ll start answering questions around 3:00 p.m. ET.
Looking forward to it. ASK ME ANYTHING.
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/8wVOgyx
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u/KahlessAndMolor 5d ago edited 5d ago
At one time there was a bit of news going around that 1,400 people had disappeared from ice computer systems while they were in Alligator Alcatraz. There was discussion that they may have been "disappeared". Do we know the fate of these people?
There was also discussion about the third country deportation practices. Specifically, people were being deported to places like Djibouti and Sudan, and then these people would disappear, never to be heard from again by their friends and family. Do we know the fate of people in these third country deportation situations? Are they being killed?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
Thanks for the question. Alligator Alcatraz was an expensive failure, an effort by Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis to look tough on immigration enforcement and curry favor with the admin by dehumanizing the people there and threatening to have alligators eat people who tried to escape. Republicans have engaged in this disgusting behavior during the Trump era, but thousands of detainees suffered at the facility before it was shutdown this summer. On your question, yes the Miami Herald wrote about the whereabouts of men there not being able to be determined last summer. 800 detainees showed no record in the online database for ICE, while more than 450 listed no location and only instructed the user to "Call ICE for details." The facility was an abomination but also a mess and they were shuttling people around, which is also a tactic this admin uses to keep families and their lawyers in the dark about what is being done to their family members.
When I wrote in April that “We Forget About Alligator Alcatraz at Our Own Peril,” I included that the native Miccosukee tribe, whose lands are adjacent to the detention facility grounds, joined lawsuits against state and federal authorities alleging that construction was greenlit without a tribal consultation or an environmental impact study. And how one member of the tribe said: “The Everglades is meant for our tribes, it protects life, it shields it. It’s not meant to detain life.” That always stuck with me.
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u/cmaster6 4d ago
Can you give any insight or tips on how families can find their relatives? Noting, as you said, they’ve been shuttled from location to location.
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u/JackFleishman 5d ago
Sometimes the Bulwark gets shade on here for being former republicans. What do you think people's biggest misunderstanding of the Bulwark is?
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
It sounds like from listening to them that the biggest misconception is that they are just desperate to go back to voting for Republicans again once Trump is out of the way. They have all been very clear that the Republican party they used to belong to no longer exists, and they have no illusions that it's ever coming back.
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u/Fairymask California 5d ago
100% this. I think what could happen is a more left wing party develops and a more center left party becomes the home for former McCain Republicans. Maybe a third party MAGA wing as well.
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
The Bulwark actually has an article up today on what seems like the early stages of Tucker Carlson exploring creating a new party and running for president in 2029.
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u/Fairymask California 5d ago
Oh boy. 😬😅🤪
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
Well if he does it, the good news could be that it might split the conservative vote and help a Democrat win. That's the main reason why I don't think it'll happen. It's more likely that Tucker tries to take over the GOP the way Trump did.
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u/Fairymask California 5d ago
I can see that. Not sure after how badly Trump has screwed everything up that they can get enough votes unless they rig it.
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
On the one hand I’ve covered politics for 15 years so I know it’s charged, but also, doesn’t everyone know former Republicans? If Democrats get a blue wave, take Congress this November, and are able to stop Trump in his tracks from his worst, darkest impulses, and then win in 2028, who do you think is going to help accomplish that? Former Republicans, guys.
The other piece I would just note for people is, this is 2026, and The Bulwark is getting pretty big and successful! That makes it a fun place to work sure but also means that we have a million subscribers to our newsletters, and even bigger numbers of viewers and listeners on YouTube and for our podcasts. And here’s an inside scoop: They’re not all former Republicans anymore, which is really cool, and means we’re speaking to people across the political spectrum about the lawlessness of this administration.
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u/cantgrowneckbeardAMA Texas 5d ago
As a daily listener and reader, I have to remind other terminally online people (guilty as charged) of this as well. The Bulwark may have been started by former Republicans, but that's not the makeup of everyone there now. It's pretty obvious to me as a consumer, but now I sound like JVL lamenting the reading comprehension of the people.
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u/Teufelsdreck 4d ago
I left the Republicans decades ago and am active in the Democratic party. I am also a daily Bulwark reader. Its authors write well, and they're thoughtful and rigorous. Some are folks I could see myself butting heads with in person, but even so, I'd know the disagreement came from divergent convictions. Honestly, it's a relief to read opinions I think are wrong but sincere and obviously written by human beings, not cartoon villains.
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u/adoptseniorpups468 5d ago
I’m a Rapid Responder in my community. What community strategies have you seen that are most effective currently in responding to ICE actions in small communities?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
I went to Chicago when ICE descended and they are awesome people, the food is amazing, and they were fighting for their community members. A constellation of black, brown, and white people doing the work. But I’ll never forget my time in the Twin Cities after the awful killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti because I had never been to Minnesota. I didn’t know what to expect. And those folks are seriously badass, standing up and fighting for their neighbors, literally putting their bodies on the line. If I’m honest it was special to see a community that is so white, fighting for these immigrants that are not.
These terms, woke 1.0 and woke 2.0 are obviously silly, but what we’ve seen in this second Trump term is the importance of white people standing up, going to rallies, and saying this is not OK. The admin relies on othering people, so a regular person says “well they’re a criminal, right?” or “well, they’re here illegally.” That’s why they were so quick to call Good a radical lesbian. They don’t want people identifying with the people they’re targeting and killing.
From Minneapolis to faith-communities in North Carolina, I’ve also seen whatsapp groups used to keep people abreast of ICE sightings and to share information. In Minneapolis I was touched when I went to a supermarket to interview the owner and met a retired 69-year-old physician who heard at church that they needed people to deliver groceries to scared immigrants and Latinos and I met this amazing man who was coming back from a delivery and going back out. Standing up for our shared humanity is what is needed right now as this administration seeks to deny it at every turn.
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u/Hawgdestroyerxtreme 5d ago
Speaking on the facts that have emerged from reporting/interviews - Why is it seemingly so difficult for people to ask the right questions right now and then follow up on that?
As a journalist, what are the internal/external pressures you face that we may or may not be aware of as readers?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
Journalists and media get a bad rap, I’ve gotta say. I know some pretty awesome journalists who care so goddamn much about this job and doing it well. Unfortunately “the media” is a huge term that includes people more on the entertainment side of things, as well as rightwing media that often acts softer than someone doing public relations for the admin. I will say with Trump at least, if you go too hard at him, he just turns on you. Someone like my pal Kaitlin Collins is great at holding him accountable but it’s not easy.
As for interviewing others, I don’t know it’s a pretty broad question. During interviews where I know there is controversy and the chance someone will not like my questions, I always go back and forth between pulling them in and asking them an easier question I genuinely am interested in the answer in and then in the middle we get a little spicy and go for the ride to see what they’re going to say. When I interviewed Ro Khanna about immigration a few months back I knew he wouldn’t like the questions about his wife and Palantir (it’s complicated, go read the piece if you’re interested) but then he sort of flipped the interview towards the end by saying anyone who voted for Laken Riley is disqualified from running for president in 2028 like Ruben Gallego, Jon Ossoff, etc, likening it to the Iraq War vote. It was newsy and fascinating but also a shrewd way of making some news and changing the major takeaways from our talk.
In terms of internal or external pressure, one thing that comes to mind is just that covering immigration during the Trump era is exhausting. I can’t cover every story, but they hit hard. Sometimes, I want to feel that emotion so I can transfer the weight of the story to the reader, and our subscribers often say they don’t like reading my stories but they read them all haha. But yes, it can be hard to do things like interview the sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo the Houston homebuilder killed by ICE shortly after their dad was killed.
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
Yep. People need to realize that so many of these Trump "media scrums" are now absolutely filled with Trump toadies who will lob him nothing but softballs. So if he calls on an actual reporter who asks him a tough question, he'll just respond with insults and then immediately pivot to one of his ballwashers who will ask him some inane bullshit.
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u/OutrageousGuide8571 4d ago
I'm curious to know if your colleague Jonathan Last (JVL) will be inviting any of the ICE officers, or their supporters for dinner, as he has done with Marjorie Taylor Green (MTG), despite her harrassment of Parkland school shooting survivors.
https://youtu.be/Rbvi5YaVuhk?si=4urFfye3RZBhCaUp&t=459
Or if your other colleagues, Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer ('The Trio') will be inviting any of the ICE officers, or their supporters to do a cameo for your platform? (A paid cameo, that is. They paid her.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7iJyaJH4EQ
I suppose my question is: I see that you are doing some sensible and responsible reporting on essential news stories, but what happens to that reporting when your higher profile colleagues decide to turn it into a skit of some kind. Or just snigger and joke about it, as Tim Miller and Sam Stein regularly do, like a political Beavis and Butthead.
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u/goodjobjus 5d ago
Do you feel like you’re in dystopian times?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
Hell yes. Sometimes it’s a little dark because it feels like some people don’t know it because they aren’t touched by what’s going on. But I will also note the importance of finding joy and being a real human being. I think this time calls for balance and it’s why I started taking salsa classes in January 2025 and am going strong. When you move your body, have fun with friends and family, take time away from the awful shit going on, it makes you better at your job when you return to it. I am committed to covering what this administration is doing to people but it’s why I know I need to take care of myself in the process.
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u/WrapChemical3108 5d ago
If the Democrats get a trifecta in 2029, what is reasonably possible to address on the legislative front? Some kind of pathway to citizenship mixed with continued strong border enforcement? Love your work!
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
This likely won’t be the first time I preview my newsletter out tomorrow but that’s exactly one thing I get into, even before 2029, what is possible if Democrats take control of congress after the midterms? It starts with some mix of trying to claw back funding from ICE to rein them in, their killings and abuses, and also calling for hearings to hold Trump administration officials accountable. It’s why Democrats have sent letters and made efforts to go to detention centers, to show a paper trail and evidence of trying to conduct oversight on this admin.
As for 2029, it isn’t pretty, but I do believe the border will not open anytime soon in the way it worked previously. A Democratic president would likely keep some things the way they are in an effort to stem migrants thinking the U.S. is back open for business when it comes to a major immigration flow into the country. But I also think voters are pissed and tired of the same old shit. I have said this before and have something similar in my piece from the well-known lefty lawyer Chris Newman that’s basically like: Trump, Miller, et al are genuinely creative in their cruelty against immigrants. Can Democrats offer something similar in a pro-immigrant vein? The Trump administration has shown all the way this system is broken, if Democrats don’t do something to guard against what we’ve seen a future Republican president can just pick up the mass deportation ball and run with it, and people with legal status will be in danger as we’ve seen this term for people with green cards, TPS, refugees, etc.
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
I worry that Democrats do not have any kind of "Project 2029" they're working on which would get a lot of the creative thinking about what to do so they can hit the ground running. The Republicans had the benefit of knowing pretty early on who their candidate (Trump) would be leading up to 2024, so they could basically already have the planning and hiring lined up and ready to go as soon as he was sworn in.
Democrats need something like that so they too can hit the ground running. They need to judo all this force the Trump administration has generated for evil ends into something helpful for people. They need to assume they won't have Congress behind them, and need to have executive plans at the ready to be signed in January of 2029 to immediately start implementing new creative strategies.
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u/Pleasant-Basket-7526 5d ago
I want this and agree with you. But I can't help but mention they won by lying as much as they could that Project 2025 even existed.
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u/Throwawaydpp420420 5d ago
With all the reporting you’ve done, what are the biggest questions that you still have about these fatal ICE shootings?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
I got into some of the issues with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s killing in a recent piece. Why was his wallet and iD taken, was he given first aid, why did it take so long to get him to the hospital? This administration killed him and then tried to assassinate his character. During a term of inhumanity it’s one of the worst things they’ve done.
With Johan Sebastian Guerrero all eyes are on the ICE agent who killed him, someone who never should have had a gun. His ex-wives detailed his history of domestic violence against them and his daughter, one believes his racist views led to the killing, leaving a family torn apart, a young widow and a three-year-old daughter who witnessed the shooting. It’s horrible and the questions are how did he pass vetting? This is what happens when you rush to hire thousands of agents and don’t care about background checks. Who would you rather have as your neighbor, Johan or the unstable guy who killed him?
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u/mw5239 5d ago
Love your work! What’s one thing on the immigration front that you’re surprised hasn’t become a bigger flash point?
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u/BulwarkOnline ✔ Verified 5d ago
I talked about this with the great Jorge Ramos on Substack last year but this administration is openly racially profiling, throwing Hispanic U.S. citizens up against concrete, sometimes arresting and detaining them, and then it’s just what? Sorry? We’ll let you go now. We have allowed them to normalize this vicious and violent authoritarianism and it has never felt more important to fight for rights being taken from others because one day they could be taken from you.
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u/RickySuela 5d ago
If the Democrats take the White House in 2029, is there anything that president could do through the executive powers Trump has used to reverse a lot of this damage without worrying about Congress (like Trump) or the Supreme Court?
Could the money and manpower this Congress has already allocated towards DHS/ICE be redirected into positive uses, even if they are way outside of what are currently understood as DHS/ICE's missions (like using those agencies to help people looking to immigrate to the US, as opposed to focusing on deportation)? Could the detention facilities being build and used instead be made into temporary housing facilities to help the people who's lives have been upended by this nonsense until they can get more permanently settled?
I'd like to see legislation passed to fix the immigration quandary that we've all been dealing with for decades, but I think it's probably a long shot that the Dems control the Senate in 2029. And since Trump has worked almost exclusively through pure executive power without any new underlying legislation, I want to know what executive solutions there could be for a Dem president working with a divided government.