Understanding Immigration: Recent Episodes
Federation for American Immigration Reform
The Federation for American Immigration Reform's podcast bringing you the most important news and information about U.S. immigration.
Idaho state Senator Phil Hart discusses his recent trips to the southwest border and how things are different from trips he made years ago.
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Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04) discusses how the Biden Administration's border crisis is impacting his home state of Texas and his resolution to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
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Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs on the House Oversight Committee discusses a hearing his subcommittee held on the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Report, which raises red flags about the “unsustainable” methods of staffing at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and their impact on morale.
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The Daily Caller's Jennie Taer joins us to discuss her recent reporting from Guatemala. She told us about her conversation with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, Afghan migrants making the journey north, and showed us conditions inside of a Guatemalan facility for those who were deported from the US. https://dailycaller.com/2022/11/03/border-immigration-amazon-microsoft/
Matt O'Brien, Director of Investigations for Immigration Reform Law Institute and FAIR's Press Secretary Ron Kovach discuss the latest judicial current events in immigration law and news.
FAIR's recent report which can be found here: https://www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/elephant-classroom-mass-immigration-imposing-colossal-cost-and-challenges outlines the fiscal burden of the massive unfunded mandate imposed by the federal government: the requirement to educate millions of illegal aliens, the school-age children of illegal aliens, and unassimilated/unvetted refugees. The struggle to fund programs for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) represents a major drain on school budgets as they redirect resources away from American citizens to support English learner programs for this cohort.
Interviews with Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36), former Acting ICE Director Tony Pham, spokesperson for National Border Patrol Council Art Del Cueto, and Angel Mom from Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime Sabine Durden-Coulter from the nation's capital at our annual radio row event.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens and Ron Kovach discuss the latest trending immigration stories from legislation, to polling, to the Biden administration's remarks about the situation at the border.
The Biden administration removes several immigration judges for purely political reasons. We sit down with one of these jurists, Matt O'Brien who previously worked at USCIS and FAIR and now holds the position of director of investigation at the Immigration Reform Law Institute.
In this episode, we discuss the Supreme Court's decision to give the Biden Administration the greenlight to end the Trump-era "Remain In Mexico" policy and Governor Abbott's executive order which authorizes the Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety to bring illegal aliens to the ports of entry at the southern border.
April shattered border apprehension numbers - they were the most in U.S. history. What is the state of the southern border, and will President Biden do anything to address the crisis?
Dozens of groups, including FAIR, mobilize to provide an immigration blueprint for the 118th Congress
In this episode FAIR's Research team breaks down our latest report which pegs the illegal alien population at 15.5 million as of the end of 2021, and discusses how much this cohort costs American taxpayers. Here's the report: https://www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/2021-update-how-many-illegal-aliens-live-united-states
On how Biden's proposed budget for the Department of Homeland Security streamlines mass migration
The ICE Fiscal Year 2021 Report is available and the information in it is stunning. Under Biden’s watch, ICE is effectively abolished.
In this episode we discuss the crisis in Ukraine from Russia's invasion and what to expect from the Biden administration's use of Temporary Protected Status.
Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04) discusses his new bill, the ALIEN Act, and the impact it would have on the ongoing border crisis.
In FAIR's 50th episode of the Understanding Immigration podcast, we review recently obtained ICE removal data from FY 2021 which shows that the Biden administration is clearly refusing to enforce our immigration laws.
We speak with former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who is now a distinguished senior fellow for border security at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, about the declining morale of his former agency and the continuing border crisis.
Preston Huennekens, FAIR's government relations manager and Jason Peña from our research department discuss illegal alien voting in New York, benefits for illegal aliens in California, and how the Texas synagogue terrorist entered the United States.
In the first episode of 2022, we discuss our predictions for migrant apprehension numbers and what the Biden administration and Congress might do (or not do) to address the growing immigration issues in the United States.
In this episode, we discuss the new Covid variant, Omicron, and the Biden administration's hypocritical travel bans. We reflect on the most significant immigration policies and news from 2021 as well.
FAIR's Spencer Raley and Preston Huennekens discuss the Biden administration's proposal to pay hundreds of millions to illegal alien families, and Democrats' third attempt to pass the largest amnesty in U.S. history via the "Build Back Better" plan.
In this episode we talk about the all-time high number of illegal aliens crossing the border and President Biden's nomination of an open borders, sanctuary city advocate to lead Customs and Border Protection.
https://www.immigrationreform.com/2021/10/20/bidens-customs-and-border-protection-pick-admits-that-the-administrations-policies-need-to-change/
In this episode we discuss why thousands of Haitians are arriving in Del Rio, Texas, and how the Biden administration's new policies protect illegal aliens from deportation and end all worksite enforcement.
A special episode from FAIR's 14th annual radio row event, Hold Their Feet to the Fire, where more than 60 radio hosts broadcasted from DC to hold politicians accountable for the crisis at the border and poor U.S. immigration policies. Interview guests included lawmakers, sheriffs, immigration experts, angel families, and many others. In this episode we interview FAIR President Dan Stein, Sheriff Sam Page of Rockingham NC, Rob Law - Director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy for the Center for Immigration Studies, and Mark Morgan - Former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Check out FAIR's Facebook and Twitter accounts for more interviews with other distinguished guests from this special event which will continue to be posted throughout the week!
In this episode, we discuss how President Biden and his administration have outright ignored the 9/11 Commission's national security recommendations.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Preston Huennekens, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the poorly executed withdrawal from Afghanistan and how the U.S. can best address Afghan refugees, especially those who have helped the U.S. military.
Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13), former physician to President Obama and President Trump, joins FAIR's Matthew Tragesser and Preston Huennekens to discuss the out-of-control border crisis and the health and security implications it holds for border states and for the country.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Preston Huennekens, and Matthew Tragesser discuss how a little-known emergency health order called Title 42 is helping mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the southern border and why the Biden administration's plan to to lift the order is completely contrary to how seriously they claim to be taking the global health pandemic.
FAIR’s Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the plan by Senate Democrats to try to amnesty MILLIONS of illegal aliens as part of an infrastructure bill through the budget reconciliation process. How likely are they to succeed and what will be the consequences if they do?
FAIR's Preston Huennekens and Matthew Tragesser discuss Vice President Kamala Harris's recent visit to El Paso, Texas while FAIR hosted a rally at the border wall in Arizona where hundreds of citizen activists, sheriffs and lawmakers attended to send a message to the current administration to end the Biden Border Crisis.
FAIR's Matthew Tragesser and Spencer Raley are joined by Townhall.com's senior writer Julio Rosas to discuss Vice President Harris's recent trip, not to the border of course, to Guatemala.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser discuss how more and more migrants entering through the open Southwest border are coming from all over the world, including from countries that the U.S. considers state sponsors of terrorism.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Preston Huennekens, and Madison McQueen discuss the United States Refugee Program.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Matthew Tragesser, and Immigration Reform Law Institute senior fellow Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), discuss immigration policy in the Joe Biden era.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the first 100 days of the Biden administration and how American immigration policy has been impacted by the president's administration's actions.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Senior Fellow Mark Morgan, former acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, discuss a recent trip to the border in McAllen, Texas that FAIR took where we saw the border crisis firsthand.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Preston Huennekens discuss the border surges under the Trump and Biden administrations. How has President Biden handled the surges at the border and why have members of the media been restricted from accessing detention facilities? What is President Biden hiding?
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Madison McQueen, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the ongoing crisis at the southern border which the Biden administration refers to as a mere challenge.
FAIR's Matthew Tragesser, Spencer Raley, and Preston Huennekens discuss President Biden's bill proposal which would be the largest amnesty proposal in U.S. history.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Preston Huennekens give another update on more executive actions that President Biden is using to undo even the most practical immigration policies of the previous administration.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Matthew Tragesser, and Spencer Raley talk about President Biden's first week in office when he issued more immigration executive orders than those addressing COVID-19 and our weakened economy.
FAIR's Matthew Tragesser, Spencer Raley, and Preston Huennekens talk about how apprehensions at U.S. borders have tripled since April despite COVID-19 travel restrictions. Will Joe Biden face another border crisis like we saw in 2019?
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Madison McQueen, and Jason Pena of the research department talk about their updated report on the population of illegal aliens residing in the U.S., how they reach this estimate, and how this number affects jobs, spending, education, and public safety.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Matthew Tragesser, and Spencer Raley discuss the issue of criminal alien gangs in the U.S. and how enforcing laws at the border and in the interior can make communities safer.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser and Preston Huennekens discuss Biden's cabinet picks Alejandro Mayorkas (for Department of Homeland Security), Xavier Becerra and others and what these hires would mean for United States immigration going forward. At the time of recording this episode it was highly speculated that Becerra would be slated to become Biden's Attorney General, but recent news points to him being selected as secretary of health and human services.
FAIR's Matthew Tragesser and Preston Huennekens discuss the accomplishments and failures of the Trump administration regarding immigration.
FAIR's Preston Huennekens, Matthew Tragesser, and Spencer Raley argue why a merit-based immigration system is more beneficial than a chain migration system in the United States.
FAIR's Spencer Raley, Preston Huennekens, and Matthew Tragesser examine both candidates' immigration policies and actions in an educational discussion about the 2020 presidential election.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Spencer Raley, and Preston Huennekens discuss student visa programs and the impact they have on national security and workforce economy.
FAIR’s Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the increasing number of apprehensions of illegal aliens at the northern border with Canada and why this may be a growing problem.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Preston Huennekens, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the issue of non-citizen voter fraud.
FAIR’s Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser discuss the Department of Homeland Security which was established in 2003. The episode covers the different parts of DHS (USCIS, ICE, and CBP) explaining what they are each responsible for and breaks down how these departments are different.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley explain the 287(g) program which grants federal immigration powers to local law enforcement, enhances public safety, and is cost effective.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Preston Huennekens, discuss how illegal aliens residing in the U.S. could be included in the Census and how the Trump administration has recently issued a memorandum trying to make sure only the population of U.S. citizens counts towards representative apportionment.
FAIR’s Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser explain the asylum process and how it's severely abused in the United States.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Preston Huennekens talk about the fiscal cost of illegal immigration and how that amount can be reduced.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser and Preston Huennekens talk about how immigration affects national security. Learn how our broken immigration system and porous border can lead to terrorism, gang violence, and other crime.
FAIR’s Preston Huennekens, Spencer Raley, and Matthew Tragesser talk about the negative impacts that unchecked immigration has on the environment in the United States and question the reasoning of why some of the biggest environmental groups in America have been neglecting to address this issue.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley talk about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA). The Supreme Court is set to make a ruling regarding the continuation of DACA very soon and here you can find out about the policy.
FAIR’s Spencer Raley, Matthew Tragesser, and Preston Huennekens talk about how remittances impact the US economy.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley discuss how guestworker programs depress wages and displace Americans from jobs and why, at a time when millions of Americans file for unemployment, the administration seeks to import more foreign cheap labor.
After listening take this podcast quiz for your chance to win one of our Build the Wall mugs!
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley discuss the relationships between Coronavirus and immigration and the immigration measures countries are taking to curb the disease.
FAIR’s Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley discuss sanctuary cities: what they are and what you need to know about them.
In this inaugural episode, FAIR's Matthew Tragesser, Preston Huennekens, and Spencer Raley discuss the E-Verify program: what it is, why it's important, and what you need to know about it.