Silky Shah
@silkys13.bsky.social
executive director, Detention Watch Network, author Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition (Haymarket Books, 2024), from Texas, views my own book info/events: https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/unbuild-walls
i think that everyone should know about the ways this government is trying to criminalize dissent and protest -- not because it should scare us into inaction, but because understanding how it works is how we stop it from working. wrote about it for @thenation: www.thenation.com/article/poli...
The Chilling Trump Order Threatening All Americans
Why National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 is so important.
thenation.com
Rest in Power to Johanna Fernández, leading historian of NYC amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/08...
Johanna Fernández, Young Lords historian and prison abolitionist, makes her transition
Dr. Johanna Fernández, the Dominican American historian, prison abolitionist, and movement scholar, died on July 30.
amsterdamnews.com
"Once you’ve grown this infrastructure, it makes it much harder to get rid of the laws behind it… the vast majority of detention centers in the US are either former federal or state prisons or existing county jails." @silkys13.bsky.social
Unbuild the Cages
Silky Shah maps the vulnerabilities of the deportation machine.
jewishcurrents.org
I wrote about how immigration arrests are at all-time highs, even as ICE is trying to assume a lower public profile. How are they doing this? Look to your local police.
ICE’s Secret Weapon Is in Your Community
While attempting to maintain a relatively lower profile, ICE is managing to arrest record numbers of people. Here’s how it’s doing that.
newrepublic.com
Really excited to learn about End the Ice Age (endtheiceage.com) and the multi-pronged approach to abolishing ICE!
Home
End the ICE Age is a national campaign working to end immigration detention, dismantle ICE, and build safe, welcoming communities for all.
endtheiceage.com
Puff the Magic Hater@mskellymhayes.bsky.social · last wk.In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
“I think those are the main tactics at this moment: trying to stop the expansion of detention and getting communities and elected officials to do everything they can to stop sharing data with ICE, so that ICE doesn’t have the information or the ability to target more people.” — @silkys13.bsky.social
Puff the Magic Hater@mskellymhayes.bsky.social · last wk.In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
This is a good read, including this ⤵️ from @silkys13.bsky.social, on tackling this machine across multiple levels of government: "There are so many levels at which people can do this work: in your neighborhood, with your county, at the state level or by reaching out to your member of Congress."
Puff the Magic Hater@mskellymhayes.bsky.social · last wk.In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
My latest republished in @truthout.org. "Florida is really ground zero for how much immigration enforcement is changing and expanding." - @silkys13.bsky.social
How Do We Sustain Momentum for the Anti-ICE Movement Over Time?
Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, discusses how the fight against ICE has entered a new phase.
truthout.org
Such an important conversation with @silkys13.bsky.social and @mskellymhayes.bsky.social.
Puff the Magic Hater@mskellymhayes.bsky.social · last wk.In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
More essential reading! "Detention is an institution of social control," @silkys13.bsky.social reminds us. And "There is so much emphasis on improving conditions when the answer is actually to release people. The best way for people to have good… health is not to be in these institutions"
Puff the Magic Hater@mskellymhayes.bsky.social · last wk.In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
In my latest, I talk with @silkys13.bsky.social about the struggle against ICE. How are the government’s tactics shifting, and how must we respond? We also discuss the tremendous victory of fighting off the warehouse model for the regime’s concentration camps, and where the fight goes from here.
The Fight Against ICE Has Entered a New Phase
“This is a time to build on organizing on the ground and sustain it over time,” says Silky Shah
organizingmythoughts.org
An incredibly insightful conversation, for the launch an indispensable new book by @jwashing.bsky.social, out now @haymarketbooks.org. With @danieldenvir.bsky.social, @silkys13.bsky.social, and @harshawalia.bsky.social
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention
YouTube video by Haymarket Books
m.youtube.com
NEW: I wrote for MSNBC about how Madison Square Garden turning off their facial recognition cameras for Taylor Swift is a perfect encapsulation of our dystopian present: where the wealthy can use surveillance to consolidate power, and the rest of us live in a privately owned panopticon.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got to buy MSG's privacy. Her fans aren't so lucky.
Reports that Madison Square Garden temporarily shut off its facial recognition system for Swift’s wedding expose a glaring problem with how the elite wield and control mass surveillance.
ms.now
"What we are currently seeing reveals just how permeable the word “criminal” is. When they come for one of us, they come for all of us." - worth your time to read open.substack.com/pub/sheriffs...
We Are All Criminals
The "good immigrant/ bad immigrant" narrative puts all of us in danger
open.substack.com
This new book by @jwashing.bsky.social is of great, ethical, importance. A "thoughtful analysis", thinks @ccgarciahernandez.bsky.social "As #immigrant #detention becomes a testing ground for #authoritarian rule, this book is a crucial resource", says @silkys13.bsky.social By @haymarketbooks.org
How to Close a Camp
haymarketbooks.org
LIVE NOW! How to Close a Camp Join @jwashing.bsky.social, @silkys13.bsky.social, @harshawalia.bsky.social, and @danieldenvir.bsky.social for this virtual conversation hosted with @detentionwatchnetwork.org and @thedigradio.bsky.social. Stream:
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention
Join John Washington, Silky Shah, Harsha Walia, and Daniel Denvir as they discuss the struggle to dismantle the immigrant detention system.------------------...
youtube.com
"Earlier this year, we were able to make the case that, actually, we don’t have to use all this funding and we can claw back some of it."
Silky Shah@silkys13.bsky.social · 2w agoNew interview I did with Amna Akbar in @jewishcurrents.bsky.social was just published. It's a bit of a synthesis on the how we got here and the current conditions on immigration. Always great to be in convo w/Amna & wonderful to work w/Aparna Gopalan at JC on this. jewishcurrents.org/unbuild-the-...
Amna A. Akbar sat down with Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network and author of Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition, to discuss the vulnerabilities of the deportation machine.
Unbuild the Cages
Silky Shah maps the vulnerabilities of the deportation machine.
jewishcurrents.org
New interview I did with Amna Akbar in @jewishcurrents.bsky.social was just published. It's a bit of a synthesis on the how we got here and the current conditions on immigration. Always great to be in convo w/Amna & wonderful to work w/Aparna Gopalan at JC on this. jewishcurrents.org/unbuild-the-...
Unbuild the Cages
Silky Shah maps the vulnerabilities of the deportation machine.
jewishcurrents.org
Europe is at risk of creating a human rights black hole with its ‘return hubs’ for migrants | Michael O'Flaherty
Europe is at risk of creating a human rights black hole with its ‘return hubs’ for migrants | Michael O'Flaherty
Without iron-clad legal safeguards, offshore migration centres can only repeat the worst mistakes of the recent past, says the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner
theguardian.com
Our friends at @haymarketbooks.org are holding an online discussion on the struggle to dismantle the immigrant detention system. With @silkys13.bsky.social, @jwashing.bsky.social, @harshawalia.bsky.social, & @danieldenvir.bsky.social! Register for link to the livestreamed video the day of the event:
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention
Join John Washington, Silky Shah, Harsha Walia, and Daniel Denvir as they discuss the struggle to dismantle the immigrant detention system.
haymarketbooks.org
Important to note that amid the World Cup—but far from host cities full of international journalist—“ICE last month arrested more [people] than any month in the history of the agency,” said Tom Homan, White House ‘border czar’
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w agoQ: Will this change on vehicle stops lower the rate of deportations? HOMAN: No. No. I'm sick and tired of reading about how the administration has lost their guts with mass deportation. Do you know that ICE last month arrested more aliens than any month in the history of the agency?
“Mahmoud Khalil filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing administration officials, pro-Israel groups and a conservative think tank of colluding to suppress his constitutional rights.” Read the full story below. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/n...
Mahmoud Khalil Accuses Trump Officials of Conspiring Against Him (Gift Article)
Mr. Khalil will now have to convince a judge that the defendants coordinated to take action against him and other pro-Palestinian activists.
nytimes.com
ICE added 40 more agreements to its 287(g) program list this morning. There are now 1,802 unique law enforcement agencies participating in the program, which is roughly 10% of all LEAs in the U.S. La migra, la policía, la misma.
ICE 287(g) Program Tracker | Titus Consulting
Interactive map and data visualization tool tracking local law enforcement partnerships with ICE under the 287(g) program. Understand how immigration enforcement operates in your community.
tituslegaldesign.com
"If the withdrawal marked a shift in public relations, it did not, importantly, mark a shift in enforcement. Indeed, the violence resulting from those operations may be escalating: ICE shootings and killings in 2026 are already outpacing those in 2025." @melissagiragrant.com
The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 4w agoSince Trump returned to office, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is the tenth person federal immigration agents have shot and killed. trib.al/P865fE1
I wrote about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo—who is now the tenth person federal immigration agents have shot and killed during Trump's second term.
ICE Is Hoping You Won’t Notice the Man Agents Killed In Texas
The administration may have changed its P.R. strategy for Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The violence hasn’t changed at all.
newrepublic.com
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention Join @jwashing.bsky.social, @silkys13.bsky.social, @harshawalia.bsky.social, and @danieldenvir.bsky.social for this virtual conversation hosted with @detentionwatchnetwork.org and @thedigradio.bsky.social RSVP to attend:
Register Now – How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention – YouTube
How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention – YouTube, Tue Jul 21, 2026 - Join John Washington, Silky Shah, Harsha Walia, and Dan Denvir as they discuss the struggle to ...
events.haymarketbooks.org
This is DHS's strategy to evade state law, preventing inspections and oversight. CoreCivic will still run these facilities but now with DHS owning them they won't be subject to the same scrutiny. calmatters.org/justice/2026...
Private prison company sells two of California’s immigrant detention centers to the feds
Private prison company CoreCivic sold two California properties to the Department of Homeland Security. It will continue operating them as ICE detention centers.
calmatters.org
Five. Years. This has been demanded for five years. www.wbez.org/immigration/...
Illinois state's attorney moves to restrict data-sharing with ICE
A state contract with Appriss Insights, which runs the state's crime victim notification system, allows the company to share data with third parties, including ICE, immigrant advocates say.
wbez.org
🚨 HUGE ongoing surge of ICE arrests, with ICE directing 80% of all officers to go out into the field and round people up, aiming to hit 2,000 arrests a day; which would be more than during the Minneapolis surge. This may be why the nun in Texas got briefly picked up. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/u...
Immigrant Arrests Surge to 10,000 in 5 Days as ICE Clamps Down
nytimes.com