This episode dismantles the most persistent myths surrounding immigration and replaces them with how the system actually works.

We walk through immigration policy historically and in real time—naming the racial roots of U.S. immigration law, explaining why “just do it legally” is not a serious policy position, and breaking down the real costs, timelines, and barriers people face today.

We also look at crime data, benefits myths, economic contributions, and the very real impact current enforcement strategies are having on American farmers and food systems.

Topics covered

• Why immigration law has always been shaped by race
• Policies that restricted Italians, Asians, and other groups
• Obama-era deportations vs. today’s enforcement tactics
• Why deportation numbers vary depending on who’s counting
• Real immigration pathways, timelines, and costs
• Why asylum is slow—and dangerous to wait through
• Crime data vs. fear narratives
• Taxes, benefits, and economic contribution
• Farm labor shortages and food supply impacts
• Why immigration reform is urgent—not theoretical

Key historical policies referenced

• Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
• Immigration Act of 1917
• Emergency Quota Act (1921)
• Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson–Reed Act / National Origins Act)

Immigration system & policy resources

• U.S. State Department — Visa Bulletin
• https://travel.state.gov/visa-bulletin
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — Asylum & Work Authorization
• https://www.uscis.gov/asylum
• https://www.uscis.gov/i-765
• Migration Policy Institute
• https://www.migrationpolicy.org

Crime & data resources

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Immigration & Crime Summary
• https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/21746/issue_brief_crime.pdf
• PNAS peer-reviewed study (Texas arrest data)
• https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014704117
• Cato Institute — Incarceration Rates by Immigration Status
• https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/illegal-immigrant-incarceration-rates-2010-2023

Benefits, taxes & economy

• National Immigration Law Center — Benefits Eligibility
• https://www.nilc.org/resources/overview-immeligfedprograms/
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
• https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/

Agriculture & labor impact

• Wisconsin Public Radio — Farm labor shortages
• https://www.wpr.org/news/deportations-worry-farmers-labor-shortage-harvest
• Dairy Herd Management — ICE raids and dairy workforce loss
• https://www.dairyherd.com/news/labor/overnight-exodus-how-ice-raid-cut-dairys-workforce-more-half

Reflection question

If the system looked then the way it looks now—who would have been allowed in at all?

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