David Hernández

David Hernández is an Associate Professor of Latina/o Studies and Critical Race and Political Economy at Mount Holyoke College. He serves as Faculty Director of Community Engagement and Co-chair of the Critical Race and Political Economy department. His work intersects migration studies, racial justice, and carceral systems.

• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
• M.A., University of New Mexico
• B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara

Hernández specializes in the racialized history of U.S. immigration detention, examining its connections to broader carceral systems. His forthcoming book Alien Incarcerations: Immigrant Detention and Lesser Citizenship traces the institutionalization of deportation powers.

His recent publications explore climate-induced migration, Reagan-era detention policies, and media commentary on asylum seekers. Themes include environmental justice, racialization of migrants, and critiques of punitive immigration systems.

• National Science Foundation Fellowship
• Ford Foundation Fellowship
• Social Science Research Council Fellowship
• Smithsonian Institution Fellowship

Hernández teaches courses on Latina/o immigration, migrant narratives in film, and deportation history. He advocates for community-engaged pedagogy and has participated in public seminars on mental health policy, census accuracy, and election-related immigration debates.