Richard Ashby Wilson

@richardawilson.bsky.social

650 followers 560 following 250 posts

Princeton University Professor of #Anthropology. Co-Director of the Human Rights Initiative. I write about #HumanRights & #CivilRights
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Richard Ashby Wilson is an American–British social anthropologist of law and human rights. He is the Gladstein Distinguished professor of Human Rights and Professor of Anthropology and Law at the University of Connecticut. In 2021, Wilson became the Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Intellectual Life at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Wilson established the interdisciplinary Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut and was the Director of the Human Rights Institute from 2003 to 2013. Wilson is one of the founders of the anthropology of human rights and was editor and an author of Human Rights, Culture and Context (1997), the first edited volume in the field of the anthropology of human rights. .. more

Political science 48%

History 17%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, Juan Cole

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 12h

If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, gun reform, universal child care, and a living wage.

The right-wing agenda isn’t about “life.”

It’s about control.

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 1d

Here I am. #AbolishICE and any other law enforcement agency that the President uses as his personal goon squad to intimidate and murder.

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 2d

We just entered the 3rd government shutdown of Trump‘s second term, which has only been a year.

THIRD GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, y’all.

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson

ProPublica @propublica.org · 2d

The Constitution's supremacy clause bars local interference with federal officers when they act reasonably, within the scope of their duties.

But when agents cross that line, experts said, there's an obligation to try to hold them accountable.

Local and State Police Can Investigate Federal Agents, But Rarely Do

It doesn’t happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents. Legal experts say there’s a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable w...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, John Collins, W. Andy Knight , and 1 more Richard Ashby Wilson, John Collins, W. Andy Knight, Olivier Mannoni

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 2d

Sanders: The American people do not want this country to be an authoritarian society or an oligarchy. We have our differences, that’s what democracy is about—we argue it out. We don’t throw people who disagree in jail. We don’t intimidate the media. We don’t send ICE agents to shoot people.

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 2d

Rushing headlong off the environmental cliff.

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 3d

Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change—all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.

WATCH: Trump, EPA's Zeldin announce end of scientific basis for U.S. action on climate change

The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, the most aggressiv...

www.pbs.org

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 3d

WATCH: Trump, EPA's Zeldin announce end of scientific basis for U.S. action on climate change

www.pbs.org

Reposted by Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Richard Ashby Wilson , and 7 more Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Richard Ashby Wilson, Melissa Johnson, Gerald Friedman, Jacob T. Levy, Ann Bartow, Thomas Masterson, Simon Lester, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

under questioning by Rand Paul, ICE officials confirm that yelling at officers is not assault and recording officers is not a crime

Reposted by Steve Peers, Richard Ashby Wilson, Sanford F. Schram , and 1 more Steve Peers, Richard Ashby Wilson, Sanford F. Schram, Virginia Sapiro

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 4d

Republicans are still trying to pass the SAVE Act—a bill that would make it harder to vote and disenfranchise millions of Americans. Join @redistrictingaction.org and tell your member of Congress to vote no: act.redistrictingaction.org/a/natl-saveact-cte

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 4d

I just published:

The Taken
Inside the ICE Detention Pipeline for US Citizens and Residents: From Minnesota to Texas

Documented through court records.

Including worms in food, sewage water flooding into eating areas, returned to Minnesota in chains and shackles after courts order release, more.

The Taken: Inside the ICE Detention Pipeline for US Citizens and Residents From Minnesota to Texas

We document these patterns through the use of sworn declarations and court filings.

www.justsecurity.org

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 5d

It’s clear that tariffs are a tax on the U.S. population…

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 5d

“Contrary to US government rhetoric, the cost of US import #tariffs are not borne by foreign exporters. Instead, they hit the American economy itself. #Importers and #consumers in the US bear *96 percent* of the tariff burden…”

www.kielinstitut.de/publications...

America's own goal: Americans pay almost entirely for Trump’s tariffs

Contrary to US government rhetoric, the cost of US import tariffs are not borne by foreign exporters. Instead, they hit the American economy itself. Importers and consumers in the US bear 96 percent o...

www.kielinstitut.de

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, David H. Kaye, Richard Ashby Wilson

Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 6d

So I just listened to @ariberman.bsky.social articulate the same theory @jvl.bsky.social has: that there’s a real chance the Trump admin is going to lean on Maduro or offer him some sort of deal to say Venezuela did interfere in the 2020 elections.

open.spotify.com/episode/1cPG...

Trump Starts the Steal

open.spotify.com

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 7d

Excellent article on how to regulate AI so it doesn't eat society.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/o...

Opinion | The Democrats Again Risk Losing Voters They Take for Granted

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, David Darmofal

Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 8d

Otay Mesa "Detention Center" (prison camp) in San Diego, CA:

lataco.com/captive-loti...

Exclusive: Detention Center Captives Are Throwing Lotion Bottles Wrapped With Notes to Organizers Outside Otay Mesa Facility ~ L.A. TACO

“For 280 days we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, apple, orange, or anything fresh," an Otay Mesa captive communicated through handwritten note. "We are all in one big room with no doors...

lataco.com

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, Aaron Sojourner

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 8d

A federal judge in Oregon issued a sweeping rebuke of the Justice Department’s nationwide push to seize state voter rolls, ruling that the department can no longer be presumed to be acting in good faith and warning that its conduct threatens voters and states’ rights.

Federal judge rules DOJ can ‘no longer’ be trusted in voter roll crusade

The judge pointed to a letter from Bondi to Minnesota that tied federal immigration enforcement to demands for voter data as the smoking gun.

www.democracydocket.com

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 8d

"Trump’s entire political career — from his embrace of birtherism to his hatred of birthright citizenship — cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/o...

Opinion | This Is Just Who Trump Is

www.nytimes.com

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 12d

Wow wow wow. U.S. District Judge Biery writes a fabulous and piercing decision. Maximum respect…
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Annotating the Judge’s Decision in the Case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-Year-Old Detained by ICE

Our critic annotates the barbed wordplay of a decision challenging the Trump administration’s theory of executive power.

www.nytimes.com

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 13d

My conversation about the current moment and state terror with Amelia Frank-Vitale and Jennifer Burrell in #Anthropology News.
www.anthropology-news.org/articles/res...

Responding to State Terror in the US - Anthropology News

This year opened with what writer M. Gessen described as the “state terror” phase of Trump’s presidency. Witnessing this acceleration in the federal

www.anthropology-news.org

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 13d

$68 million is a drop in the bucket for Google/Alphabet which had profits of $124 BILLION in 2025.

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 13d

ICE is now claiming it can arrest people without a warrant.

This comes after another internal memo asserting ICE agents can forcibly enter homes without a judicial warrant.

Hello? Democrats cannot let these blatantly unconstitutional actions continue. Not another penny for ICE.

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 14d

Trump’s illegal deportation campaign challenged by #HabeasCorpus, a legal protection that goes back (at least) to the #MagnaCarta and 1215

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

Federal Courts Undercut Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Richard Ashby Wilson

Gabriela Divinetz Romero @gdivinetz.bsky.social · 15d

ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...

ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 16d

Amazon has cut a combined 28,000 jobs since October. Its CEO made $40M+ in 2024

UPS has announced 78,000 job cuts since last year. Its CEO made $24M.

HP announced up to 6,000 layoffs in November. Its CEO made $21M.

This is what I mean when I say the system is rigged.

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, Stacy D. VanDeveer

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 18d

America does not want us to fund a lawless out of control ICE.

- No more roving patrols or profiling. ICE/CBP are not trained to do this. And it's wrong. Require warrants.
- No more secret police. Take off the masks. Show ID.
- And real accountability for murder and assault.

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Richard Ashby Wilson, Gerald Friedman , and 4 more Nandita Sharma, Richard Ashby Wilson, Gerald Friedman, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Karen O’Leary, Olivier Mannoni, Monisha Bajaj

The Desert Veteran @jkz12769.bsky.social · 18d

The City of Philadelphia has introduced legislation to limited ICE in the city. The Federal Agents can not be masked, must have ID visible, must have arrested warrants signed by federal judges. They can't attack people. If they can't do this, they will be arrested.
youtu.be/i5Yvg_HHfbE?...

WATCH: Philadelphia lawmakers introduce 'ICE Out' legislation to restrict federal operations in city

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

youtu.be

Reposted by Richard Ashby Wilson, David Darmofal

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 20d

I joined forces with @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social.

We explain deep connections between senior administration officials' smearing Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and ICE protestors as "domestic terrorists" and how this fits into the draconian NSPM-7.

Important for more people to wake up to this.

The Smearing of Alex Pretti and NSPM-7

How administration officials' labelling Alex Pretti and Renee Good as "domestic terrorists" fits in with NSPM-7.

www.justsecurity.org

Richard Ashby Wilson @richardawilson.bsky.social · 20d

Police chiefs speak out against ICE.
There are only 20,000 ICE agents and nearly 1 million state and local police.
Just sayin...
www.instagram.com/reel/DTxpKrm...