Columnist, @LATimesOpinion. Author of "Hatemonger" and "Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir." PEN Literary Award, NPR's Best Books
Jun 9, 2022 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
THREAD. Let's talk about the Summit of the Americas, which @POTUS turned into a snub to Latinos & a huge missed opportunity to solve the migration "problem." First, here's my column about it. latimes.com/opinion/story/…@latimes
Biden wants to get at the root causes of immigration. The Latin American diaspora understand those better than anyone. But the immigrants working the summit, busing dignitaries’ tables and making their beds, feel unheard, as @theCindyCarcamo reported here. latimes.com/california/sto…
Mar 24, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD: For years, I anglicized my Mexican last name. Hate mail from MAGA trolls inspired me to reclaim it. This column is deeply personal to me, but it's also about a broader movement to reclaim names as resistance. latimes.com/opinion/story/…
In the 90s, I went to a school that forbade Spanish. If caught, we had to write “I will not speak Spanish” 100 times. I internalized English-language supremacy, growing isolated from myself and family, including my Abuelita, who couldn’t speak English.
Sep 13, 2021 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
A thread with all of my columns on the CA recall election and some of my colleagues' columns and other writings for sharing as we head into election day tomorrow:
Quick🧵on why the fascist-hijacked Republican Party will win its war on American democracy if Democrats keep caving to their scaremongering re: racial justice. Today, the frontlines of the war are in Sacramento, CA. It's about the #VisionAct. calmatters.org/commentary/202…
Despite all of the advances CA has made to protect immigrant communities, we continue to have double standards for criminals based on where they're from. I wrote previously about why this is morally wrong. jezebel.com/no-country-for…
Aug 19, 2021 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
I have a thread coming about this and why the recall election is life-or-death for Latino and Black communities. 👇🏽
The recall's leading candidate wants to rewind the clock in CA to the 90s, when we passed the anti-immigrant Prop 187 and racist three-strikes law. He's against citizenship for Dreamers, sanctuary laws, health care for the undocumented and more. latimes.com/opinion/story/… (2)
Aug 8, 2021 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD: I have some thoughts about the deceptive media coverage of @larryelder's campaign for CA governor. He's pretending he's not a Trump shill so he can get bipartisan support, and many (mostly East Coast) journos are helping him by not pushing back on his false narrative.
In this appearance on @CNN, Larry Elder takes issue with being called a Trump supporter, insisting he's merely a Republican. @smercornish pushes back a little, but then gives into Elder's framing. Nobody fact-checks him: cnn.com/videos/tv/2021…
May 2, 2021 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
THREAD: I wrote about COVID-19 conspiracy theorists preying on Latinos. In less than 3 months, my Mexican abuela, my dad and my Puerto Rican aunt were all targeted. But we can fight the disinformation war. Read my piece @latimes: latimes.com/opinion/story/… (1/3)
Here’s the @PENAmerica guide I mention in my piece for speaking with friends and familia who fall victim to the disinformation. One tip: approach with empathy, says @attorneynora: pen.org/como-hablar-co… (2/3)
Dec 17, 2020 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD: I wrote a piece in @jezebel about how the stories of “bad hombres” have long been distorted and deployed to terrorize entire immigrant communities. Obama’s “felons, not families” paved the way for Trump’s “criminals” and “rapists.” 1/6 jezebel.com/no-country-for…
Americans are cultured to relate to and even delight in white anti-heroes. Meanwhile, we are conditioned to see flawed Black or brown men as “animals.” When those men are outlawed, their loved ones become prey, too. 2/6
Sep 5, 2020 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
I fact-checked the crime stats in Border Patrol's race war propaganda video. They're false. They made a fictionalized migrant murder film with fake numbers. My piece: thedailybeast.com/new-video-show…@thedailybeast
Here are the two main fact-checks regarding Border Patrol's anti-immigrant propaganda film. It features a succession of false and misleading headlines. The full piece: thedailybeast.com/new-video-show…
Feb 18, 2020 • 11 tweets • 14 min read
I have some news about this. 👇 Thread coming shortly.
Stephen Miller is the 34-year-old Californian who crafts Trump’s speeches and immigration policy. He's outlasted Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and others. My biography HATEMONGER has the story of his rise, publishing May 19 @WmMorrowBooks: amzn.to/2vJORwF
