Andrea R. Flores

A New DHS Secretary Won’t Change Trump’s Immigration Agenda Donald Trump is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after a year of disastrous leadership.

My latest on why the DHS Secretary is the least important leader shaping immigration policy right now: open.substack.com/pub/securing...

I joined @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social to make clear that replacing Noem is not a policy change. If Trump keeps keeps Miller & Homan in charge, swapping in Senator Mullin is just political cover for the same enforcement overreach. Dems should ask Mullin on how he will constrain ICE & Border Patrol.

Border Patrol has been dropping people onto city streets without coordination for decades. This case is particularly horrific, but it’s part of a longstanding pattern. This is why Dems should subject Border Patrol to the same scrutiny & reform demands as ICE.

Thanks to the work of @kennedyhrc.bsky.social, we know that effective alternatives to family detention exist. Now, we need to push our leaders to phase out family detention and replace it with a more cost effective and humane alternative.

Unpacking Immigration Themes in Trump's 2026 State of the Union Address w/ Andrea Flores and Austin Kocher Trump's speech to Congress was a belabored slog through recycled grievances, misinformation, and hyperbole – but we managed pull out key observation about immigration policy you should know about.

Trump's speech to Congress was a belabored slog through recycled grievances, misinformation, and hyperbole – but we managed pull out key observation about immigration policy you should know about. @andreaflores.bsky.social

austinkocher.substack.com/p/unpacking-...

How to Build a Future Without Family Detention For decades, leaders in both parties have argued that once families are released into communities while seeking asylum, it becomes difficult to deport them if they do not qualify for legal status.

Last week, my former DHS colleagues and I detailed the harm family detention inflicts on children. This week, we propose practical alternatives that protect kids and uphold immigration law. open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

“Detention should be saved for people who are public safety threats, it shouldn’t be punitive” Former Acting ICE Chief of Staff @dtfleisch.bsky.social blasts the Trump administration’s plan of buying up warehouses to detain more immigrants.

The DHS Shutdown isn't the Victory. The Repositioning for Democrats Is. Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S.

Today, on Securing America’s Promise, @sarahpierce.bsky.social & I talk about how Dems are taking a smart position on immigration enforcement and laying the groundwork for a new vision on immigration reform. open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

Both parties misread the 2024 Latino vote results, and they are at risk of doing it again if they don’t understand the nuances of our community’s opinions on immigration policy. @aliciamenendez.bsky.social

The Trauma of Family Detention on Children Over the past year, we’ve watched the horror of mass deportation unfold in communities across the country.

Today, my former DHS colleagues and I write about the past twenty years of family detention, and why it is indefensible for the government to keep detaining innocent children when more effective alternatives exist to enforce immigration law. open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

I was working at DHS at the time, and have seen how this inhumane practice keeps coming back because Congress has failed to develop more humane and effective alternatives. Tomorrow, two of my former colleagues and I explain why family detention is not necessary to enforce immigration law.

The Trauma of Family Detention on Children Over the past year, we’ve watched the horror of mass deportation unfold in communities across the country.

When Obama expanded family detention in 2014, the White House knew it would leave lasting trauma on innocent children. It’s time for Democrats to reject this inhumane practice: open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

@aliciamenendez.bsky.social

What an excellent hour you hosted tnight on #DeadlineaWhitehouse ahout #immigration!

It was erudite, informed, and compelling!

#InflectionPoint

@jacobsoboroff.bsky.social

@andreaflores.bsky.social

#TeachersAreHeroes

@msnownews.bsky.social

There’s no path to de-escalation in cities like Minneapolis while the administration enforces arbitrary arrest quotas to hit deportation targets. When agents are pushed to make thousands of arrests a day, mistakes and chaos are inevitable.

TONIGHT: Trump says a “softer touch” is required after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti – a major Wall Street GOP megadonor speaks out against the Trump administration’s involvement in American business – & details on the Washington Post’s massive layoffs.

As long as the admin’s goal is to achieve mass deportations, we should not expect any deescalation from this admin. Mass deportations require more federal agents in our communities.

Bad Bunny is being politicized because Latinos around the country are being targeted by this administration. The best way to support his message is to get organized and push Congress to protect immigrants.

How Congress Could Start to Reform ICE and the Border Patrol This week’s post is co-written with Deborah Fleischaker and Claire Trickler-McNulty, former DHS officials with deep experience working to reform immigration detention and enforcement.

Many are missing that Senate Dems already achieved a huge win in the DHS reform fight. The fact that Senate Republicans gave any time for Dems to negotiate is a sign of how much the politics of immigration are changing. Read more here: arosaflores.substack.com open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

How Congress Could Start to Reform ICE and the Border Patrol This week’s post is co-written with Deborah Fleischaker and Claire Trickler-McNulty, former DHS officials with deep experience working to reform immigration detention and enforcement.

Democrats now have 2 weeks to negotiate w Congressional Republicans on a set of measures to begin to impose checks on systematically abusive conduct by ICE & CBP. Here's a valuable primer on some things that shld be on the table. Via @andreaflores.bsky.social arosaflores.substack.com/p/how-congre...

While there’s a lot of focus on ICE right now, border communities—like the one I grew up in—have been raising the alarm about the Border Patrol’s tactics for decades. It’s critical that Congress prioritize reforms for both agencies. @theweekendmsnow.bsky.social

I joined @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social to talk about the administration’s latest moves. The violence we saw in Minneapolis isn’t about individual leaders, it’s about policy. As long as the administration is committed to mass deportations, these tactics will continue.

What’s Happening in Minneapolis Isn’t Immigration Enforcement Even though I was born in the United States, and my family has lived here for generations, I've lost count of how many times I've had to explain to an immigration officer that I am a U.S.

Our leaders can no longer ignore that immigration reform is essential to defending our democracy. Trump has shown how easily the system can be turned against any of us. arosaflores.substack.com open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...

Strong statement from Senate Democrats and @schumer.senate.gov. Overhauling ICE and CBP is necessary to protect the public, and it’s time to pressure Senate Republicans to join this effort.

But this is also just the beginning of a bigger reset for Dems. Now that they’ve seen how a president can weaponize DHS, reforming our immigration laws has become an urgent issue for our democracy.

I joined @theweekendprime.bsky.social to talk about Dem positioning right now. They should be calling for federal agents to leave Minneapolis, and they should be demanding that Republicans support law enforcement reforms, like a new use-of-force policy for ICE and the Border Patrol.

Joining @theweekendprime.bsky.social tonight to talk about the escalation in Minneapolis.

President Trump could deescalate this situation right now by directing his federal police force to leave the city. There is no immigration enforcement reason for thousands of officers to remain in Minneapolis. This is political retaliation by a President against his own citizens.

Editorial Board Editorial | Minnesota is under siege. This cannot stand. ICE presence has disrupted all aspects of life in Minnesota, and led tragically to the death of Renee Good. It’s the outcome of government overreach that favors force over legitimacy. Editorial Board The Minnesota Star Tribune January 14th at 1:49 pm GMT-6

"Battalions of armed federal agents are moving thru neighborhoods, transit hubs, malls & parking lots & staging near churches, mosques & schools. Strangers w/guns have metastasized in spaces where daily life should be routine & safe... like a military occupation."
www.startribune.com/editorial-mi...

I joined @aliciamenendez.bsky.social to discuss the importance of Dems offering a clear alternative to what we’re seeing in Minneapolis. It’s not enough to oppose what’s happening, voters deserve to know how Dems would enforce immigration law if they win back power.

The Question of Reforming ICE It's Not Just ICE That Needs Reform

Minneapolis marks a turning point. Trump’s deployment of immigration enforcement agents to cities is a pretext to arrest and intimidate not just immigrants, but also American citizens who disagree with him. Read my thoughts in today’s Substack:
open.substack.com/pub/arosaflo...