This coverage was made possible by a grant from URL Collective, a non-profit supporting local diverse media

In the final episode of Borderly, host Mario Carrillo turns to the people who carry the border’s weight long after headlines fade. From immigration law to community care, this conversation centers on what it means to show up with dignity when systems fail, and lives hang in the balance.

Mario sits down with Melissa M. López, Executive Director of Estrella del Paso, to explore what welcoming people with dignity looks like in practice, not as policy, but as daily work. They reflect on growing up in El Paso, the emotional toll of immigration advocacy, the lasting impact of family separation, and why border communities are so often asked to absorb the consequences of decisions made far away.

As Borderly comes to a close, this episode brings the series full circle, returning to El Paso not as a symbol, but as a real place shaped by care, resilience, and responsibility. Wherever borders exist, people quietly hold communities together. This is their story.

Borderly is a project of Immigrantly.

New episodes follow weekly in January.

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Host: Mario Carrillo I Producer: Saadia Khan I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor and Borderly Theme Music: Lou Raskin I Other Music: Epidemic Sound

Immigrantly Podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production.

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