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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Sohini Desai

Politics

Unlike The Defendants, One Of The Prairieland Judges Is Part Of An Organized Cell Of Extremists

<p>E.Y. Zhao is a writer and editor from St. Louis. Her debut novel, <a href="https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/underspin-9781662603266/"><i>Underspin</i></a>, set in the world of competitive table tennis, is out now. She holds a BA in history from Harvard College and an MFA from the University of Michigan.</p>


E.Y. Zhao

Two Nights Outside ICE’s New Jersey Concentration Camp


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<div>Hallie Lieberman is a historian and journalist. Her book <em>Gigolos: An Exploration of the Men Who Sell Sex and The Women Who Buy It</em> will be published by Beacon Press in January 2027. She is also the author of <em>Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy</em>. Her writing has appeared in <em>Esquire</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Washington Post</em>, and other outlets. </div>
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Hallie Lieberman

An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent while US Vice President JD Vance speaks at Royalston Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 22, 2026. The Pentagon has ordered 1,500 US soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, a state roiled by unrest over an immigration crackdown, US media reported on January 18, 2026. The reported preparations come days after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which enables use of the military to suppress "armed rebellion" or "domestic violence" -- although a day later he said there was no immediate need for it, following the January 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent. (Photo by Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Life As An Undocumented Trans Sex Worker In The Age Of ICE

Soccer

Somali World Cup Referee Denied Entry Into U.S.

Detainees gesture at windows from inside Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center

Prisoners At Private ICE Jail In New Jersey Collectively Refuse Conditions Of Death

Israel Daramola

Photos of Nicole Good (L) and Alex Pretti are placed among flowers at a makeshift memorial in the area where Pretti was shot and killed by Federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota

How Much Longer Can The Politics Of Grievance Sustain Itself?

<p>Asher Elbein is <a href="https://www.asherelbein.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.asherelbein.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712179533443000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2CJ0U-vHMdK0s6sOdzlGGF">a journalist and fiction writer</a> based in Austin, Texas. Among other places, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Undark Magazine, Audubon, and Texas Monthly.</p>


Asher Elbein

Why Do Fascists Dream Of Alligators?


<p>Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A protester holds a backwards American flag outside of Dodger Stadium during a protest against the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and ICE immigration raids on June 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

The Dodgers Are Disappointing The People Who Want To Love Them The Most

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Masked federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 18, 2025 in New York City. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander and Council Member Alexa Avilés visited immigration courts to watch proceedings a day after NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents while accompanying a person out of a courtroom as people continue to be detained following immigration court hearings.

Margin Of Error

No Time For Theatrics


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

a photo of Mary Giovagnoli, a fired Unaccompanied Children Ombuds

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired Unaccompanied Children Ombuds

New York City police arrested dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters on Columbia University on Wednesday evening after they took over part of a central library in New York, USA on May 7, 2025.

Teachable Moment

Lauren Theisen

Demonstrators hold signs as they protest the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh of Brown University at the State House in Providence, Rhode Island

We’re All We’ve Got Left

David Roth

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party's presidential nomination

What A Lie Is For

<p><a href="https://tomwhyman.com/">Tom Whyman</a> is a British philosopher.</p>


Tom Whyman

Far-right activists hold an 'Enough is Enough' protest on August 02, 2024 in Sunderland, England

U.K. Politicians Can’t Fix What They Broke

Agents of the Texas National Guard struggle with a migrant man after he crossed across the Rio Grande river to reach the US side, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on March 20, 2024.

Amy Coney Barrett’s Charm Offensive

CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 06: Migrants cross the border to USA through Gate 36 and to be received by elements of the Border Patrol and the Texas National Guard for the processing of their request to migrate, captured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on February 06, 2024.

The Crisis Keeps Migrating

Giri Nathan

Novak Djokovic sits down while practicing on the grounds of the Australian Open.

immigration