As the United States grapples with a surge of authoritarianism under Donald Trump, much of Europe is putting up new barriers to migrants. The two issues, xenophobia and rising autocracy, are deeply related.

Our modern border system of cages and walls is deadly by design, and it empower autocrats who would crack down on civil society globally.

“Open Borders” advocates are often dismissed as idealistic, but Max Granger, a writer, translator and migration activist, argues that the current system in the US, built over decades by both political parties, led us precisely to where we are.

“It’s the people who think these power structures can be reformed who are being naive,” he told Pirate Wire Radio.

We talk about the rise of neo-fascism in the US, how we built a modern hyper militarized and securitized border system, migrants who cross continents, and what solutions might look like moving forward.

Give it a listen!

And you can check out Max’s Substack, the Writing on the Wall, here.

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