70 Million

In our final episode of the series on ICE and gender, series co-editor Fernanda Santos interviews ICE Chief of Staff Michael Lumpkin to talk about ICE’s mission, what some see as strategic pitfalls, the treatment of trans migrants at detention centers, and the challenges and limitations of an overloaded system. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

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Transgender migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. experience higher rates of sexual, physical, and emotional mistreatment while in ICE detention. In this roundtable, moderated by series creator Juleyka Lantigua, a trans immigration lawyer and a researcher expand on how ICE policies and procedures harm trans immigrants. They also make the case for not merely being ‘an ally’ but becoming ‘an accomplice’ in the fight for trans immigrants' rights. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

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We take a deeper look at the creation and enduring legacy of the country’s first detention center, Angel Island, and examine how the past reflects the complexities of today’s immigration matrix. Reporter Andrea Gutierrez visits Angel Island and hears from a Chinese descendant whose ancestor fought against her deportation in the 1920’s. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

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Many make the dangerous trek across South and Central America to arrive at the U.S. border to seek asylum and safely. But for some mothers, reaching the country is where their hardships begin. Reporter Inés Rénique connects with two immigrant mothers in NYC whose journeys only intensified as they sacrifice and work to support their families after arriving in the U.S. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

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In states with large immigrant populations, it’s easy to find an immigration lawyer. But in Wyoming, attorney Rosie Read’s nonprofit firm, the Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project, is a pioneer. Reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate sees firsthand how Rosie’s work changes lives. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

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Vicky, a trans migrant from Honduras who came to the US seeking asylum, was placed in an ICE detention center set up to support LGBTQ+ detainees. But she says the so-called “trans pod” only added to her isolation, anxiety, and the dehumanization she felt. At the Louisiana ICE Detention Center she says she experienced civil rights violations. Vicky Reporter Emilce Quiroz has part two of this story.

Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.

Detainees at ICE detention centers have long reported a lack of basic necessities, like edible food and potable water—but for transgender migrants, something as basic as physical safety can seem questionable. Vicky, a trans woman from Honduras, shares her story. Facing harassment after being housed with male detainees, she was placed in “isolation”—a.k.a., solitary confinement—for 23 hours a day. Undeterred, she continues her fight for asylum. Reporter Emilce Quiroz reports this two-part episode.

Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.

Moving to the US as an immigrant from another country can sometimes take years. But in 2021, after the US’s disastrous exit from Afghanistan, many Afghans' safety and futures were upended overnight, leaving some with no choice but to abandon their homes in a rushed exodus. Reporter Adreanna Rodriguez has the story of two women who find themselves entangled in an overburdened system while adapting to becoming mothers in a country where everything is an unknown.

Find a resource guide and annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.

In California, force-feeding detainees on hunger strike is illegal, but in Texas it’s legal. In part two of this mini-series, investigative reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell speaks with a former ICE detainee about the conditions inside ICE detention, the hunger strike he led, and the legality and morality of force-feeding strikers. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.

When some detainees complained about the lack of basic safety, health and medical necessities inside some ICE detention centers, they said they faced punitive retribution—including solitary confinement. In this two-part episode, investigative reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell talks to detainees in custody and on the outside about why and how they organized hunger strikes–and the consequences that followed. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.