Erica Hellerstein
@ehellerstein.bsky.social
Global human rights journalist | IWMF Ukraine fellow | Senior immigration & labor reporter @eltimpano.bsky.social | Tech, labor, memory, migration | Oakland based
Prev @codastory.bsky.social & many more past lives. www.ericahellerstein.com
Prev @codastory.bsky.social & many more past lives. www.ericahellerstein.com
Pinned
Meet Ukraine’s ‘Geeks of War’ | KQED
The Ukraine-Russia war has been called the most technologically advanced war in history. Ukrainian citizens receive notifications about incoming missile and drone attacks through apps on their phones;...
www.kqed.org
In June, I went to Ukraine to work on a project abt my family's roots. But somewhere along the way, I fell into a rabbit hole about something else: The army of engineers, hackers & meme warriors fueling Ukraine's resistance against Russia. So I made a podcast about it:
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
"A French documentary filmmaker was searching through a flea market when she found a photo album that chronicled Nazi-occupied Paris from 1940 to 1942. A note in the front read, 'If you find this album, take care of it and have the courage to look at it.'”
www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
This moment will be defined by what we choose to record - Poynter
Local press and local residents must document history as federal force grows routine
www.poynter.org
January 22, 2026 at 5:59 AM
"A French documentary filmmaker was searching through a flea market when she found a photo album that chronicled Nazi-occupied Paris from 1940 to 1942. A note in the front read, 'If you find this album, take care of it and have the courage to look at it.'”
www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, memo says
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant.
bit.ly
January 21, 2026 at 9:32 PM
BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
Last Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed 2026–27 California state budget.
In today’s Weekly Dispatch by @ehellerstein.bsky.social, we take a closer look at the proposal and what his budget might mean for immigrant communities across the state.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/n...
In today’s Weekly Dispatch by @ehellerstein.bsky.social, we take a closer look at the proposal and what his budget might mean for immigrant communities across the state.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/n...
Newsom’s budget proposal rolls back immigrant health care
The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome back to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor, and economics reporter. Last F...
www.eltimpano.org
January 16, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Last Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed 2026–27 California state budget.
In today’s Weekly Dispatch by @ehellerstein.bsky.social, we take a closer look at the proposal and what his budget might mean for immigrant communities across the state.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/n...
In today’s Weekly Dispatch by @ehellerstein.bsky.social, we take a closer look at the proposal and what his budget might mean for immigrant communities across the state.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/n...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
SCOOP from Douglas Macmillan
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
A fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:46 PM
SCOOP from Douglas Macmillan
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
The Department of Homeland Security is refusing to release information on 3 detained Oglala Lakota tribal members who are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp for Native people, unless the tribe enters into an immigration agreement with ICE.
Oglala Sioux Tribe accuses federal authorities of treaty violation after four members detained by ICE
“Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are United States citizens. We are the first Americans.”
www.wjtv.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:05 AM
The Department of Homeland Security is refusing to release information on 3 detained Oglala Lakota tribal members who are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp for Native people, unless the tribe enters into an immigration agreement with ICE.
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
In our first Weekly Dispatch of 2026, @ehellerstein.bsky.social brings you the story of an Indigenous Maya family deported last year to Guatemala—a story that's been erased by deportation data.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
Erased by deportation data
The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome back to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor, and economics reporter. After ...
www.eltimpano.org
January 9, 2026 at 9:54 PM
In our first Weekly Dispatch of 2026, @ehellerstein.bsky.social brings you the story of an Indigenous Maya family deported last year to Guatemala—a story that's been erased by deportation data.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
In @eltimpano.bsky.social's first Weekly Dispatch of 2026, we bring you the story of an Indigenous Maya family deported last year to Guatemala. Their story has been erased by deportation data.
And, reflections on Venezuela + Renee Nicole Good.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
And, reflections on Venezuela + Renee Nicole Good.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
Erased by deportation data
The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome back to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor, and economics reporter. After ...
www.eltimpano.org
January 9, 2026 at 7:37 PM
In @eltimpano.bsky.social's first Weekly Dispatch of 2026, we bring you the story of an Indigenous Maya family deported last year to Guatemala. Their story has been erased by deportation data.
And, reflections on Venezuela + Renee Nicole Good.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
And, reflections on Venezuela + Renee Nicole Good.
www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/e...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
Names aren't classified, publishing a government higher-up's name is not "doxxing," and journalists are entitled to publish news, even if it is classified, as long as they don't break the law to get it.
It's not the press's job to keep the government's secrets.
It's not the press's job to keep the government's secrets.
January 9, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Names aren't classified, publishing a government higher-up's name is not "doxxing," and journalists are entitled to publish news, even if it is classified, as long as they don't break the law to get it.
It's not the press's job to keep the government's secrets.
It's not the press's job to keep the government's secrets.
January 8, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
New: we've obtained material explaining how an ICE surveillance system, called Webloc, works. Draw shape on a map, see all phones available there, follow them home. All without warrant
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods
404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or t...
www.404media.co
January 8, 2026 at 2:03 PM
New: we've obtained material explaining how an ICE surveillance system, called Webloc, works. Draw shape on a map, see all phones available there, follow them home. All without warrant
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
NEW: An ICE officer killed a person in broad daylight in Minneapolis today — with posted video appearing to contradict the DHS statement claiming self-defense, as the driver appeared to be attempting to drive away when shot.
MPR: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Video: bsky.app/profile/dani...
MPR: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Video: bsky.app/profile/dani...
January 7, 2026 at 6:21 PM
NEW: An ICE officer killed a person in broad daylight in Minneapolis today — with posted video appearing to contradict the DHS statement claiming self-defense, as the driver appeared to be attempting to drive away when shot.
MPR: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Video: bsky.app/profile/dani...
MPR: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Video: bsky.app/profile/dani...
More than 37,000 ppl have been deported to Guatemala over the past year. But you won't find info about Indigenous deportees in U.S. or Guatemalan government data bc it doesn't exist. So we set out to tell the story of one Mayan family rendered invisible in the data
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
January 5, 2026 at 10:03 PM
More than 37,000 ppl have been deported to Guatemala over the past year. But you won't find info about Indigenous deportees in U.S. or Guatemalan government data bc it doesn't exist. So we set out to tell the story of one Mayan family rendered invisible in the data
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
The cool thing about supporting small, local nonprofit newsrooms is that you can help us consistently scoop the larger national pubs that publish the same stories we do 8 months later!
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
As safe spaces shrink, immigrant youth find solace in “the beautiful game”
Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, soccer provides a refuge for young newcomers.
www.eltimpano.org
January 2, 2026 at 6:54 PM
The cool thing about supporting small, local nonprofit newsrooms is that you can help us consistently scoop the larger national pubs that publish the same stories we do 8 months later!
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Our latest investigation, months in the making & reported from Oakland to Guatemala.
In Feb, Fabiana A. and her family were deported from Oakland to their hometown in rural Guatemala, where they are now struggling to rebuild. Their story, as told to @ehellerstein.bsky.social, reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Our latest investigation, months in the making & reported from Oakland to Guatemala.
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 2/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 2/5
If you are looking for a weekend read, I'd love to share my #longread for @eltimpano.bsky.social on the complex realities facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants affected by the administration's immigration crackdown, and the erasure they confront in the US and abroad.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 21, 2025 at 9:13 PM
If you are looking for a weekend read, I'd love to share my #longread for @eltimpano.bsky.social on the complex realities facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants affected by the administration's immigration crackdown, and the erasure they confront in the US and abroad.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
🧵1/ A few months ago, I began speaking with Fabiana, a Maya Mam woman who, along with her husband and daughter, was deported from Oakland to Guatemala in February 2025 while their attorneys were preparing to file a U-Visa case.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
🧵1/ A few months ago, I began speaking with Fabiana, a Maya Mam woman who, along with her husband and daughter, was deported from Oakland to Guatemala in February 2025 while their attorneys were preparing to file a U-Visa case.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
I'm really happy to share a piece I've been working on @eltimpano.bsky.social that has been many months in the making. It's about the multifaceted challenges facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants swept up in the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I'm really happy to share a piece I've been working on @eltimpano.bsky.social that has been many months in the making. It's about the multifaceted challenges facing Indigenous Mayan immigrants swept up in the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
For the past few months, I've been talking to an Indigenous Maya woman who was recently deported to Guatemala from Oakland with her family. The story is as much about the present as it is about the past. My deep dive:
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Invisible in the data: A Maya family struggles to rebuild in Guatemala after being deported
A Maya Mam family’s deportation reveals the erasure Indigenous immigrants face in the U.S. and back home.
www.eltimpano.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:18 PM
For the past few months, I've been talking to an Indigenous Maya woman who was recently deported to Guatemala from Oakland with her family. The story is as much about the present as it is about the past. My deep dive:
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
www.eltimpano.org/english/immi...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
Investigative reporter @ehellerstein.bsky.social looks at how Ukraine’s culture of tech innovation — and its surprising ties to Silicon Valley — are fueling the country’s resistance through an army of engineers, coders, hackers, and tinkerers. www.kqed.org/news/1206467... via @kqednews.kqed.org
Meet Ukraine’s ‘Geeks of War’ | KQED
The Ukraine-Russia war has been called the most technologically advanced war in history. Ukrainian citizens receive notifications about incoming missile and drone attacks through apps on their phones;...
www.kqed.org
December 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Investigative reporter @ehellerstein.bsky.social looks at how Ukraine’s culture of tech innovation — and its surprising ties to Silicon Valley — are fueling the country’s resistance through an army of engineers, coders, hackers, and tinkerers. www.kqed.org/news/1206467... via @kqednews.kqed.org
I used to teach a volunteer journalism class at Branham in San Jose, so this is extra A) disgusting and B) mind-boggling to me. Genuinely took my breath away. I also wonder how these young boys have been influenced by folks like Nick Fuentes etc
www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/09/s...
www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/09/s...
San Jose high school investigating ‘human swastika’ formed by students in photo on campus
In response, the school is working to implement educational approaches to teaching about the Holocaust and antisemitism.
www.mercurynews.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
I used to teach a volunteer journalism class at Branham in San Jose, so this is extra A) disgusting and B) mind-boggling to me. Genuinely took my breath away. I also wonder how these young boys have been influenced by folks like Nick Fuentes etc
www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/09/s...
www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/09/s...
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
For ProPublica filmmaker Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, Yineska and her family represent the many Venezuelans who’ve come to the U.S. seeking safety and opportunity — and, in many ways, his own immigration story.
Watch “Status: Venezuelan,” out now.
Watch “Status: Venezuelan,” out now.
They Came to the U.S. Legally. Then Trump Stripped Their Status Away.
Yineska and her family are trapped between a homeland in ruin and Trump’s mass deportation campaign. “Status: Venezuelan” is a story of them trying to stay together — and stay in the U.S. legally.
www.propublica.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:12 PM
For ProPublica filmmaker Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, Yineska and her family represent the many Venezuelans who’ve come to the U.S. seeking safety and opportunity — and, in many ways, his own immigration story.
Watch “Status: Venezuelan,” out now.
Watch “Status: Venezuelan,” out now.
Reposted by Erica Hellerstein
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
ICE Arrested and Separated Chinese Father From 6-Year-Old Son, Advocates Say
The father and son were detained at an ICE check-in on Nov. 26, advocates say. The son’s location is currently unknown, while the father is being held at an upstate ICE facility.
www.thecity.nyc
December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
Did you know that drones are responsible for ~70% of all deaths in the war in Ukraine? Or that the first computer in continental Europe was made in a bombed out building in Kyiv in 1951? Learn this + more in my pod on the tech nerds transforming the future of conflict
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...
Meet Ukraine’s ‘Geeks of War’ | KQED
The Ukraine-Russia war has been called the most technologically advanced war in history. Ukrainian citizens receive notifications about incoming missile and drone attacks through apps on their phones;...
www.kqed.org
November 30, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Did you know that drones are responsible for ~70% of all deaths in the war in Ukraine? Or that the first computer in continental Europe was made in a bombed out building in Kyiv in 1951? Learn this + more in my pod on the tech nerds transforming the future of conflict
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...
www.kqed.org/news/1206467...