In this episode, Jason Hong, a former undocumented immigrant and DACA recipient, shares the story behind one of the most difficult decisions of his life: leaving the United States, the only home he had ever known, to start over in Madrid, Spain.

Jason's journey illuminates what it feels like to live under the constant uncertainty of immigration status, and what it takes to choose self-determination over waiting. Leaving wasn't an ending, it was the beginning of an entirely new chapter defined by personal agency, reinvention, and an unexpected sense of possibility.

Takeaways:

• Jason's journey, from undocumented student to DACA recipient to founder of the ONWARD Foundation, reflects the full complexity of what immigration actually looks like from the inside.
• The ONWARD Foundation exists to provide community, education, and professional pathways for Dreamers who have relocated beyond the United States.
• Legal barriers like the ten-year bar of inadmissibility shape the decisions of undocumented individuals in ways most people never consider.

This month marks 14 years since President Obama announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and in this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ariana Aparicio to reflect on what those 14 years have meant, and what they have not yet delivered.

Dr. Aparicio is a higher education scholar, advocate, and DACA recipient whose story, from crossing the border at ten years old to earning a PhD from UC Riverside, captures everything this anniversary is about. In our conversation, she shares what DACA made possible for her, what it still cannot provide, and what it feels like to mentor students who cannot access the program at all.

We also dig into the legal landscape, the growing gap between who DACA was designed to help and who it actually reaches today, and why 14 years of temporary protection is not the same as belonging.

Key Takeaways:

• DACA was announced on June 15, 2012, providing temporary protection from deportation and work authorization for undocumented young people brought to the United States as children, but it has never been a pathway to citizenship
• Less than 30% of undocumented college students today have DACA, and new applicants have been unable to apply since 2017
• The program faces ongoing legal challenges, and under the current administration, even active DACA status offers limited protection from enforcement
• Fourteen years in, the anniversary is both a celebration and a reminder, of what DACA gave hundreds of thousands of people, and of how much remains unfinished

This episode features an enlightening dialogue centered around the immigrant experience in the United States, particularly through the poignant narrative of Daniela Rodriguez, a DACA recipient and co-founder of Migrant Equity Southeast. Daniela recounts her journey from Chiapas, Mexico, to Brunswick, Georgia, at the tender age of thirteen, highlighting the drastic cultural and social transition she faced. Her story encapsulates the struggles of undocumented immigrants, who often find themselves navigating a labyrinth of systemic barriers that hinder their pursuit of education and stability.

Takeaways:

• We possess the collective strength to unite and advocate for a more just society.
• It is imperative that we persist in our efforts to improve conditions for all.
• We must not passively accept systemic injustices when we have the means to enact change.
• Our communities are counting on us to challenge the status quo and demand equity.

In this episode, Dr. Jamshid addresses the economic ramifications of policies such as ICE raids and deportations but also underscores the human cost these measures impose on families and communities.

Takeaways:

• Healthcare and housing are fundamental human rights that must be recognized and upheld.
• Integration of marginalized communities requires a humanistic approach to reduce barriers.
• Undocumented immigrants significantly contribute to California's economy, enhancing GDP and job creation.
• Children of undocumented immigrants represent a substantial portion of California's youth population, emphasizing their societal integration.
• The economic impact of deportations is profound, threatening jobs and revenue across various sectors.
• Policies must shift from scapegoating immigrants to addressing systemic issues affecting working families.

In this episode, I am joined by two of my longest standing friends. We discuss friendship, proximity, Blackness, and immigration. My guests, Anise Ross and Melanie Lebby, have been close friends of mine since middle school, and together we explore how our diverse backgrounds have shaped the way we understand and talk about immigration. This episode is a reminder of the vital role that personal connection plays in shifting how we see the world.

Takeaways

• Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have for changing narratives around immigration, particularly for Black immigrants
• Proximity to immigrant experiences deepens understanding and builds empathy in ways that policy conversations alone cannot
• The relationship between African Americans and Black immigrants is nuanced, layered, and often misunderstood, this conversation goes there honestly
• Individual actions and personal relationships have the power to create broader societal change, and this episode will challenge you to engage more intentionally with your own community

The conversation presented in this podcast episode centers on the pressing issue of Plyler v. Doe, a landmark Supreme Court decision that guarantees undocumented children the right to free public education. This episode not only highlights the legislative challenges faced by immigrant children but also calls for a unified response from educators, advocates, and community members to ensure that every child, regardless of their immigration status, is afforded the dignity and opportunity of a quality education.

Takeaways:

• Legislation that mandates the collection of citizenship status for students adversely affects access to education.
• The ongoing attacks on immigrant children are not only harmful but detrimental to society as a whole.
• The diversity among Newcomer students contributes significantly to their academic environments and should be viewed as an asset.
• Current legislative efforts to challenge Plyler v. Doe create a chilling effect on educational access for vulnerable populations.
• The National Newcomer Network advocates for the protection of immigrant children's rights amidst rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

In this episode, Indira discusses the intersectionality between immigration policy and healthcare access, emphasizing that these issues are inextricably linked. Indira highlights how the experiences of undocumented individuals significantly impact their ability to seek necessary medical care, often resulting in dire consequences for both personal and public health. We explore the critical role of storytelling as a mechanism for advocacy, while also addressing the current climate where such narratives may be met with apathy or resistance. Ultimately, this episode serves as a poignant reminder that immigration policy is indeed healthcare policy, requiring a unified approach to address the disparities that persist within our systems.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kevin Escudero, Associate Professor of American Studies and Ethnic Studies at Brown University and co-founder of the Migration Studies Initiative, to talk about coalition building, visibility, and what higher education owes its undocumented students right now. We get into his groundbreaking research on how undocumented Asian and Latinx activists used intersectional identity to build coalitions across movements, the launch of his new book UndocuAsians, and what he is seeing on college campuses as enforcement intensifies and fear grows. Dr. Escudero leaves us with a challenge: stop waiting for your institution to act, think: how can I be a sanctuary person?

In this episode:

• Why undocumented Asian voices have been largely invisible, even within immigrant rights movements, and what changes when we center them
• The three-part identity mobilization model and how activists used it to build powerful coalitions
• What Brown University is doing to support undocumented students and what other institutions can learn
• The concept of sanctuary people and what it looks like in practice