Alan Fernando Herrera Sánchez
@alanfherrera.bsky.social
I write about my experience as a writer and press freedom advocate living in exile since fleeing the U.S. Founding board member of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA. All opinions my own.
https://alanfherrera.substack.com/
https://alanfherrera.substack.com/
Pinned
I fled the US to avoid #ICE. Some thoughts.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
alanfherrera.substack.com/p/when-the-w...
Believe it or not, Pokémon played a significant role in my eventual decision to flee the U.S. I’ve not put away childish things—they’ve molded me, sustained me, and taught me how to imagine a gentler world.
Believe it or not, Pokémon played a significant role in my eventual decision to flee the U.S. I’ve not put away childish things—they’ve molded me, sustained me, and taught me how to imagine a gentler world.
When the World Turns Team Rocket: How Pokémon Trained Me to Flee the Fascists
Those pixelated towns and endless routes became my escape, a place where freedom was earned through courage and companionship.
alanfherrera.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:32 PM
alanfherrera.substack.com/p/when-the-w...
Believe it or not, Pokémon played a significant role in my eventual decision to flee the U.S. I’ve not put away childish things—they’ve molded me, sustained me, and taught me how to imagine a gentler world.
Believe it or not, Pokémon played a significant role in my eventual decision to flee the U.S. I’ve not put away childish things—they’ve molded me, sustained me, and taught me how to imagine a gentler world.
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/things-tha...
The Dominican Republic has often been the target of an insidious and enduring strain of Western propaganda that insists on portraying Latin America as a place defined by chaos and lawlessness. But guess what? It beats the US on gun control.
The Dominican Republic has often been the target of an insidious and enduring strain of Western propaganda that insists on portraying Latin America as a place defined by chaos and lawlessness. But guess what? It beats the US on gun control.
Things That Happen: Living Somewhere Mass Shootings Aren’t Dismissed as Inevitable
In the wake of the Brown University shooting, I am relieved—deeply relieved—to live in a country where mass shootings are not a constant specter, even if, like anywhere, other risks exist.
alanfherrera.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/things-tha...
The Dominican Republic has often been the target of an insidious and enduring strain of Western propaganda that insists on portraying Latin America as a place defined by chaos and lawlessness. But guess what? It beats the US on gun control.
The Dominican Republic has often been the target of an insidious and enduring strain of Western propaganda that insists on portraying Latin America as a place defined by chaos and lawlessness. But guess what? It beats the US on gun control.
Santo Domingo's encounter with Hurricane Melissa was brief but no less impactful. My latest narrative essay, the latest in this series of essays about life before and since fleeing the U.S.: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/a-child-wa...
A Child Washed Out to Sea, and the City Kept Singing
While I imagine there are few things, if any, that hurt more than losing a child, I cannot fathom what it must be like to have no body to lay to rest.
alanfherrera.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Santo Domingo's encounter with Hurricane Melissa was brief but no less impactful. My latest narrative essay, the latest in this series of essays about life before and since fleeing the U.S.: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/a-child-wa...
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/the-day-wi...
"I am marked—a man with his papers, carrying his papers, who never wanted to be here carrying his papers and now has to live with the knowledge that he is carrying his papers."
"I am marked—a man with his papers, carrying his papers, who never wanted to be here carrying his papers and now has to live with the knowledge that he is carrying his papers."
The Day Will Come When You Won't Be
I am still there in New York, carrying my papers. I am carrying my papers. Someone will ask for them soon enough.
alanfherrera.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:40 AM
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/the-day-wi...
"I am marked—a man with his papers, carrying his papers, who never wanted to be here carrying his papers and now has to live with the knowledge that he is carrying his papers."
"I am marked—a man with his papers, carrying his papers, who never wanted to be here carrying his papers and now has to live with the knowledge that he is carrying his papers."
Resharing.
I fled the US to avoid #ICE. Some thoughts.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
October 13, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Resharing.
A former lover got a swastika tattooed on his chest shortly after Donald Trump was elected in 2016. He insisted I was mistaken, that Trump was not the figurehead for a white supremacist and fascist movement. The latest from a press freedom advocate in exile: substack.com/@alanfherrer...
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
To think of myself as an American now would feel like identifying with the oppressor.
substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:55 AM
A former lover got a swastika tattooed on his chest shortly after Donald Trump was elected in 2016. He insisted I was mistaken, that Trump was not the figurehead for a white supremacist and fascist movement. The latest from a press freedom advocate in exile: substack.com/@alanfherrer...
My latest - reflections on SCOTUS, the looming decision on conversion therapy, and life in exile: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/conditiona...
Conditional Love and the Court’s Looming Decision on Conversion Therapy
Every single person who has attempted to turn my sexuality against me has only ever thought of themselves—of their foolish discomfort.
alanfherrera.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:41 AM
My latest - reflections on SCOTUS, the looming decision on conversion therapy, and life in exile: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/conditiona...
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/decision-t...
"He spoke as Trujillo once did, with the authority of fear, the kind that bent a nation until nearly every family bore its loss—someone killed or vanished, tortured or exiled."
"He spoke as Trujillo once did, with the authority of fear, the kind that bent a nation until nearly every family bore its loss—someone killed or vanished, tortured or exiled."
Decision to Leave
If I were still in the U.S., I can almost feel it: a hand would reach into my pocket, fingers grazing a birth certificate, a passport card, tokens of belonging made meaningless.
alanfherrera.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:45 AM
My latest: alanfherrera.substack.com/p/decision-t...
"He spoke as Trujillo once did, with the authority of fear, the kind that bent a nation until nearly every family bore its loss—someone killed or vanished, tortured or exiled."
"He spoke as Trujillo once did, with the authority of fear, the kind that bent a nation until nearly every family bore its loss—someone killed or vanished, tortured or exiled."
Proud of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, for which I lead editorial operations, for joining this powerful and necessary statement. You always have an ally in me @freedom.press!
Proposed restrictions on visas for reporters show the U.S. “becoming less open and welcoming to foreign journalists…It is antithetical to the core values of American society as embodied in the First Amendment.”
Proud to join @rsf.org and others in this statement.
rsf.org/sites/defaul...
Proud to join @rsf.org and others in this statement.
rsf.org/sites/defaul...
September 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Proud of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, for which I lead editorial operations, for joining this powerful and necessary statement. You always have an ally in me @freedom.press!
My latest: substack.com/home/post/p-...
"I feel caught between an alternate reality and the heavy burden of concern for those in New York and beyond. ... There is a pain I wake to when I think of people I may never see again. There is a guilt in forming new friendships under these circumstances."
"I feel caught between an alternate reality and the heavy burden of concern for those in New York and beyond. ... There is a pain I wake to when I think of people I may never see again. There is a guilt in forming new friendships under these circumstances."
A Cure for Longing: Living Between Two Worlds After Fleeing America
I feel caught between an alternate reality and the heavy burden of concern for those in New York and beyond.
substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 7:26 AM
My latest: substack.com/home/post/p-...
"I feel caught between an alternate reality and the heavy burden of concern for those in New York and beyond. ... There is a pain I wake to when I think of people I may never see again. There is a guilt in forming new friendships under these circumstances."
"I feel caught between an alternate reality and the heavy burden of concern for those in New York and beyond. ... There is a pain I wake to when I think of people I may never see again. There is a guilt in forming new friendships under these circumstances."
My latest: substack.com/home/post/p-...
"My day-to-day concerns are not about evading ICE arrest—not anymore. I am now tasked with taking into account certain customs, with remembering, in a nation where I am largely anonymous, that God’s word can be a conversation starter."
"My day-to-day concerns are not about evading ICE arrest—not anymore. I am now tasked with taking into account certain customs, with remembering, in a nation where I am largely anonymous, that God’s word can be a conversation starter."
A Quiet Holiday, An Uneasy Peace
Who do you talk to when you’re torn from your home even while life in the U.S. still goes on, for most, as normal? How do you communicate the legitimacy of these horrors?
substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 7:51 AM
My latest: substack.com/home/post/p-...
"My day-to-day concerns are not about evading ICE arrest—not anymore. I am now tasked with taking into account certain customs, with remembering, in a nation where I am largely anonymous, that God’s word can be a conversation starter."
"My day-to-day concerns are not about evading ICE arrest—not anymore. I am now tasked with taking into account certain customs, with remembering, in a nation where I am largely anonymous, that God’s word can be a conversation starter."
Mario Guevara's case is just a sign of what's to come. You can count on the Trump admin to use ICE to deal further blows to press freedom. The press should anticipate and will have to respond accordingly to a wider crackdown on journalists, truth-tellers, dissenters, citizens and non-citizens alike.
September 24, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Mario Guevara's case is just a sign of what's to come. You can count on the Trump admin to use ICE to deal further blows to press freedom. The press should anticipate and will have to respond accordingly to a wider crackdown on journalists, truth-tellers, dissenters, citizens and non-citizens alike.
A horrific abuse of press freedom in plain sight. The US government cannot be trusted to safeguard these rights and the case against Guevara is only a taste of how the administration plans to employ ICE as part of a wider crackdown on political dissent. #FreeMario
UPDATE🚨 An immigration board issued a final removal order last night for journalist Mario Guevara. He could be deported any moment. We renew our demand for his immediate release. #FreeMario
BREAKING: Last night, an immigration board wrongly issued a final removal order for Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara. ICE has detained Mario for over 100 days for his reporting, despite a previous order that he be released on bond.
This means he could be deported at any moment.
This means he could be deported at any moment.
September 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
A horrific abuse of press freedom in plain sight. The US government cannot be trusted to safeguard these rights and the case against Guevara is only a taste of how the administration plans to employ ICE as part of a wider crackdown on political dissent. #FreeMario
In 2023 alone, more than 130 local newspapers closed or merged and now around 56% of counties in the US have one or fewer local news outlets. These developments contribute to a sense of detachment some feel toward their local communities—culminating in a general disinterest in local news altogether.
September 24, 2025 at 4:59 PM
In 2023 alone, more than 130 local newspapers closed or merged and now around 56% of counties in the US have one or fewer local news outlets. These developments contribute to a sense of detachment some feel toward their local communities—culminating in a general disinterest in local news altogether.
On the subject of Mario Guevara's ICE arrest, the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA has published a statement of its own that I encourage you to share widely: "Press freedom cannot exist where journalists are punished for telling the truth."
foreignpress.org/news-stateme...
foreignpress.org/news-stateme...
AFPC-USA Responds to the Imminent Deportation of Journalist Mario Guevara — FOREIGN PRESS
"History will not protect those abusers who believe they can act with impunity,” said Chairwoman Nancy Prager-Kamel.
foreignpress.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
On the subject of Mario Guevara's ICE arrest, the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA has published a statement of its own that I encourage you to share widely: "Press freedom cannot exist where journalists are punished for telling the truth."
foreignpress.org/news-stateme...
foreignpress.org/news-stateme...
People around the US are living in an information environment w/ fewer local alternatives and will have no option other than national news and social media for information and that ultimately does local stories a disservice; they are footnotes on national news, though no less real to those impacted.
A Kentucky company bought eight Illinois newspapers, bypassing a new law requiring a 120-day sales notice intended to keep ownership local.
Our Director of Policy @mattdpearce.com poses, “How do you remedy the damage here?”
Learn more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...
Our Director of Policy @mattdpearce.com poses, “How do you remedy the damage here?”
Learn more: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2025/0...
Sale of Illinois newspapers puts new state law to the test
SPRINGFIELD – A newspaper publisher in central and southern Illinois has sold eight of its Illinois papers to a Kentucky-based company, testing a new state law designed to keep newspaper ownership loc...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
September 24, 2025 at 4:38 PM
People around the US are living in an information environment w/ fewer local alternatives and will have no option other than national news and social media for information and that ultimately does local stories a disservice; they are footnotes on national news, though no less real to those impacted.
I encourage all journalists to read and take to heart. I also encourage journalists to revist @pressfreedom.bsky.social's Safety Kit. Preparing and knowing what to do in the case of an arrest or detainment is tantamount to a journalist’s personal safety and should be considered part of job training.
"Security experts at several news organizations told me they are increasingly concerned about the risk of physical harm."
Read @joelsimonsays.bsky.social on some simple steps news orgs can take to protect their journalists:
Read @joelsimonsays.bsky.social on some simple steps news orgs can take to protect their journalists:
News organizations are increasingly concerned about the risk of violence.
Security experts at several news organizations say they are increasingly concerned about the risk of violence.
www.cjr.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I encourage all journalists to read and take to heart. I also encourage journalists to revist @pressfreedom.bsky.social's Safety Kit. Preparing and knowing what to do in the case of an arrest or detainment is tantamount to a journalist’s personal safety and should be considered part of job training.
Both are openly colluding with the Trump administration in the FCC's attempts to silence one of POTUS' more prominent critics. It is dishonest for Carr's supporters to call these simple "business decisions" when POTUS literally just threatened ABC w/ more legal action for letting Kimmel back on.
Nexstar and Sinclair should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to cave to Brendan Carr's unconstitutional extortion tactics.
If your corporate interests don't allow you to stand up for the First Amendment, get out of the news business.
If your corporate interests don't allow you to stand up for the First Amendment, get out of the news business.
September 24, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Both are openly colluding with the Trump administration in the FCC's attempts to silence one of POTUS' more prominent critics. It is dishonest for Carr's supporters to call these simple "business decisions" when POTUS literally just threatened ABC w/ more legal action for letting Kimmel back on.
What ICE has done to this man is unconscionable. Grateful an organization like @pressfreedom.bsky.social exists to bring these horrors to light and demand accountability. The organization has been firing with all cylinders under the leadership of Jodie Ginsberg.
CPJ and @freepress.bsky.social led a coalition of organizations in a joint statement calling for journalist Mario Guevara’s immediate release from ICE custody after 100 days in detention since his arrest. He is the only journalist behind bars in the US for his reporting. #FreeMario
cpj.org?p=523321
cpj.org?p=523321
CPJ, Free Press lead call for journalist Mario Guevara’s release from ICE detention - Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Press led a coalition of 28 local and national press freedom, civil rights, human rights, and First Amendment organizations in a joint statement calling f...
cpj.org
September 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
What ICE has done to this man is unconscionable. Grateful an organization like @pressfreedom.bsky.social exists to bring these horrors to light and demand accountability. The organization has been firing with all cylinders under the leadership of Jodie Ginsberg.
I fled the US to avoid #ICE. Some thoughts.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 AM
I fled the US to avoid #ICE. Some thoughts.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.
In the autumn of 2019, I enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse on Madison Avenue with the older and catatonically wealthy Scottish man I’d been dating for several months. He’d had a long career in finance, was recently divorced, and had a surly preteen daughter.