In a viral post on Instagram, 5-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos smiles brightly in front of iconic Austin street art. She’s wearing purple sneakers with pink laces. In big yellow lettering, the post reads: “URGENT: 5-YEAR-OLD US CITIZEN DISAPPEARED BY ICE.” Before dawn on Jan. 5, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Génesis and […]
Author Archives: Cat Cardenas
Cat Cardenas is a writer-at-large for The Barbed Wire based in Austin, covering entertainment, politics, and Latinx culture. Her work has appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone and Dazed, as well as in Vogue, W Magazine, Variety, GQ, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and others.
Posted inNews
California Priests Said They’ve Made ICE Agents ‘Scatter.’ Can Clergy Do the Same in Texas?
In early July, an asylum seeker from Nicaragua arrived for a routine hearing at the immigration court in Harlingen, Texas. Inside the nondescript, tan brick building, Carlos went through his case, explaining that he’d been in the U.S. for the last five years. In that time, he’d attended every court date, every ICE check-in, and […]
Posted inOpinion
How Do You Celebrate a Country That Doesn’t Love You Back?
Last month, my mom sent me a video of a little girl named Galilea from Dallas. She’s sitting on her gray couch, clutching a brown plush dog, remembering her mom’s voice, her clothes, and the way she would say goodnight. “My mom is supposed to be with us,” she says. “ICE took her away.” On […]
Posted inCulture
Sequins, Feathers, and Bolo Ties: The Best Fan Fits From Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Houston Homecoming
The energy shifts when Beyoncé is back in Houston. Her hometown showed up and showed out for the Texas dates on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour: nightclubs and bars hosted Beyoncé-themed dance parties and drag shows, the airports welcomed fans with “Cowboy Carter Corners,” and eager Beyhive members braved the heat […]
Posted inTV & Film
Texas Was the Perfect Location for ‘The Leftovers,’ and Other Things We Learned at the 10 Year Reunion
Life was a little different when HBO’s “The Leftovers” premiered in 2014. Carrie Coon wasn’t an A-lister. Joe Rogan hadn’t brought a certain type of attention to Austin. No one had heard of Covid-19. But the show, based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name, developed a cult following (pun intended) that continues to […]
Posted inCulture
This Texas Drag Queen Wants to Teach You How to Protest
Austin drag queen Brigitte Bandit knew she’d draw attention at the Texas Capitol last week. While speaking against Senate Bill 18 — which would withdraw state funding from any municipal library that hosts drag queen story hour events — she wore a Texas flag top with a white skirt listing the names of Texas pastors […]
Posted inCulture
Meet the Texas Librarians on the Front Lines in the War Against Books
In recent years, Texas has become an epicenter of the rapidly-spreading book banning movement. This year alone, our state lawmakers lead the nation with at least 31 proposed bills that the American Library Association says would effectively restrict librarians’ abilities to do their jobs. One such bill, Senate Bill 13, passed through the Texas Senate […]
Posted inCulture
These Bands Prove That SXSW Isn’t Dead As a Music Festival
Every March, the start of South By Southwest signals the arrival of thousands of tourists, sponsors, actors, artists, musicians, and countless takes about whether this might be the end of South By Southwest as we know it. The panic reached a fever pitch last weekend when organizers announced changes to next year’s festival, prompting many […]
Posted inCulture
At 92, Willie Nelson is Going Strong With Another Luck Reunion, ACL Special and THC Drink
Ahead of his 92nd birthday in April, Willie Nelson is showing no signs of slowing down. The country music legend has had a lot to celebrate, from the launch of his new THC drink, Willie’s Remedy+, to the upcoming premiere of the Austin City Limits 50-year special, where he’ll be honored for his appearance in […]
Posted inTV & Film
15 of the Best Love Stories Made by Texans
With the help of some of the state’s film buffs, critics, and cinephiles, The Barbed Wire has rounded up a list of love stories as big as Texas. Whether they were filmed here, set here, or brought to life by some Texas-raised talent, we’ve curated a selection of essential, unexpected, and heartwarming romances that showcase […]