Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎

@austinkocher
12.5K Followers
514 Following
3.4K Posts
Political & legal geographer studying the theories, laws, and institutional practices behind immigration controls. Assistant Professor at Syracuse University. Living in Baltimore. 
#geography #immigration #baltimore #syracuseuniversity #data #writing #refugees #borders #law #fedi22
More Informationhttps://linktr.ee/austinkocher
Newsletterhttps://austinkocher.substack.com
Websitehttps://www.austinkocher.com/
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Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎5h ago

Join me in just 30 minutes (!!) at 5:30 PM Eastern TODAY for this public virtual talk about immigration data with Mercy University. The link is available at the event announcement below, registration is NOT required - so just show up!

https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/event-announcement-untangling-the-76c

Event Announcement: "Untangling the Messy Politics of Immigration Data" - A Virtual Talk at Mercy University

No registration required! Join me on Tuesday April 21 from 5:30—7:00 PM to get real about what immigration can - and can't - do in this increasingly divided political landscape.

Austin Kocher
Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎9h ago

You're invited on Thursday, April 23 at 12:30 PM, to hear from California Congressman Mike Levin about what he saw inside Otay Mesa Detention Center and why Americans should be paying attention.

https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/congressman-mike-levin-joins-me-to

Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎1d ago

You're invited on Thursday, April 23 at 12:30 PM, to hear from California Congressman Mike Levin about what he saw inside Otay Mesa Detention Center and why Americans should be paying attention.

https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/congressman-mike-levin-joins-me-to

Congressman Mike Levin Joins Me to Discuss His Efforts to Increase ICE Detention Oversight & Accountability

You're invited on Thursday, April 23 at 12:30 PM, to hear from California Congressman Mike Levin about what he saw inside Otay Mesa Detention Center and why Americans should be paying attention.

Austin Kocher
Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎3d ago
You might already know that the pace of ICE removals has increased under the Trump administration, but this graph shows exactly how much by visualizing the average daily rate of ICE removals over reporting periods. More at https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-detention-and-deportation-by.
Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎4d ago
ICE detention is killing one person every six days. Here's a graph of every custodial death since the start of the year. Remember that research shows that many/most of these deaths are preventable.
Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎4d ago

Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt is the 17th Reported ICE Detention Death of 2026

A 27-year-old man from Cuba died on April 12, one day after the 16th death of the year. The pace of detention deaths holds at an average of 1 every 6 days.

https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/aled-damien-carbonell-betancourt

Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt is the 17th Reported ICE Detention Death of 2026

Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt, a 27-year-old man from Cuba, died on April 12, one day after the 16th death of the year. The pace of detention deaths holds at an average of 1 every 6 days.

Austin Kocher
Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎5d ago

Detention Deaths, Deportation Numbers, and Systemic Violence: My Conversation on The Majority Report

I joined Emma Vigeland to discuss the 16th detention death of 2026, the for-profit detention pipeline in rural Louisiana, and what the latest deportation data tells us.

https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/detention-deaths-deportation-numbers

Detention Deaths, Deportation Numbers, and Systemic Violence: The Majority Report Interview

I joined Emma Vigeland to discuss the 16th detention death of 2026, the for-profit detention pipeline in rural Louisiana, and what the latest deportation data tells us.

Austin Kocher
Show threadAustin Kocher, PhD 🌎5d ago
All data from ICE's own biweekly releases. Full breakdown with charts, sourcing, and context in my latest post: austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-detention-and-deportation-by
Show threadAustin Kocher, PhD 🌎5d ago
Since January 2025, 47 people have died in ICE custody. In 2026 alone: 16 deaths, that's 1 every 6.3 days. At this pace, 2026 would exceed 60 custody deaths for the year.
Show threadAustin Kocher, PhD 🌎5d ago
Book-ins tell a clear story about who's driving enforcement now. CBP used to contribute up to 485 people/day to ICE detention. By March 2026: just 94/day. ICE interior arrests now account for 91% of all book-ins.