Feet In 2 Worlds

Of all the people in the United States held behind bars, the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population is immigrants.  Some 400-thousand immigrants are detained every year.  The immigrant detention system is a key element of the Obama administration’s policy that has resulted in the deportation of record numbers of immigrants—those who are undocumented as well as many who are in the country legally.

Recently Feet in Two Worlds held a forum at the New School in New York focused on immigrant detentions.  In this podcast, you'll hear excerpts from remarks by the panelists: journalist Maria Hinojosa; journalist Valeria Fernandez; Jackie Vimo, director of advocacy for the New York Immigration Coalition; and Amy Gottlieb,  director of the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights program in Newark, New Jersey. The moderator was FI2W's John Rudolph.

Radio Ambulante is described as "This American Life in Spanish". This week, novelist Daniel Alarcon and journalist Annie Correal talk about a new radio project that features stories from Latin America with a public radio twist.

Polish food and Chinese food don’t have much in common, but there’s one ingredient that unites these two cuisines.  It’s a flavor that reminds immigrants of home, no matter where they come from, whether it’s Africa, Asia, Latin America or Eastern Europe. And the funny thing is it doesn’t come from any of those places. On today’s Food in Two Worlds podcast,  FI2W reporter Aurora Almendral talks about Maggi Seasoning, a condiment that inspires devotion across the globe and in immigrant kitchens across the country.

With Greece’s economy reeling and its unemployment rate about 18 percent, some Greeks are trying their luck in the U.S. — especially true in the stronghold of Astoria, Queens, where Greek stores, restaurants and travel agencies dot Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street. In this podcast, journalist Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska reports from Queens in a radio story originally broadcast on WNYC.

The Florida primary could be a turning point in the Republican presidential nomination, and Latino voters are in the middle of the fight. This week, FI2W reporter Aswini Anburajan speaks with Dan Judy, Republican strategist and pollster, and Mark Lopez, Associate Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, about what kind of impact Florida's large Latino population may have on Tuesday's primary results.

Knowing where to find the best Chinese food has long been a point of pride for many New Yorkers.  But as the Chinese population has soared, Chinatowns have multiplied and it’s not that easy anymore.  Faced with a dizzying array of dishes and regional specialties, we found an expert to guide us through a culinary trip around the Main Street Flushing 7 train stop,

On this Food in Two Worlds podcast we’re going to visit some of the city’s best regional Chinese restaurants with chef Kian Lam Kho.   We’ll also introduce you to a couple of second generation Chinese Americans who are putting their unique stamp on one of my favorite Chinese foods, dim sum.   And in honor of Chinese New Year, journalist Richard Yeh brings us to his family dinner table for some very special dishes made only once a year.

Until last October, many people believed NYC's Comptroller, John Liu, was on the road to becoming the city's first Asian American mayor. Then the NY Times revealed that a number of people that Liu identified as campaign contributors denied giving him money, and one of his leading fundraisers was arrested. Now the FBI and the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan are investigating whether Liu violated federal law by accepting contributions from foreign donors. This week, FI2W's John Rudolph speaks with Stella Chan, reporter with the Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao Daily, and Danny Shin, senior reporter at Korea Daily, about the controversy surrounding John Liu's political future.

FI2W's John Rudolph is joined by Valeria Fernandez and Pilar Marrero, two journalists who covered the Iowa caucus for La Opinion and are now in New Hampshire for this week's primary.

If you’re looking for the center of community life for Polish immigrants in Brooklyn you should check out the local pharmacy.

Polish pharmacies in Greenpoint, Brooklyn help immigrants negotiate life in their new home while maintaining a connection to Poland.  In this podcast we’re digging into the Feet in Two Worlds archives for an intimate visit to a Polish pharmacy with journalist Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska.  Ewa is a reporter for the Polish Daily News and a frequent contributor to public radio.  This story, produced in 2005, was Ewa’s public radio debut.

Relations between the U.S. and Pakistan are said to be at an all time low.  The current crisis is yet another challenge for Pakistani immigrants in the U.S. - already torn between their native country and their adopted home.

Ever since the November 26th NATO air-strike that killed at least 25 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan, the relationship between the two countries has been on a downward spiral.  The government in Islamabad has placed new restrictions on US military and intelligence operations in Pakistan, while at the same time accusing NATO of deliberately staging the fatal attack.  The U.S. says it was an accident.

Pakistani immigrants are keenly aware of the dangers posed by this latest crisis, and some are trying to figure out how the immigrant community should respond.   Joining FI2W's John Rudolph is Mohsin Zaheer is the founder and editor of the Pakistani Newspaper an online publication, and editor of Sade e Pakistan.