Mehdi Unfiltered

‘It Cost Me My Job’ How Helping Immigrants Can Make You a Target in the US


Listen Later

It doesn’t take much under Trump’s authoritarian system of governance for anyone to find themselves in the crosshairs of one agency or the other. For attorney Clay Jackson, it was the simple act of telling an immigrant family their rights and offering to find them pro bono counsel.

“I'm licensed in three states. Every one of those states has a rule that says lawyers have an obligation to provide pro bono assistance to people in their community, I thought it was that simple.” Sadly for Jackson, it was not.

Following his meeting with a family, Jackson received a visit from state agents who refused to identify themselves, and then accused him of obstructing an immigration investigation. When Jackson went public with the story, he was immediately fired.

I didn't think that doing something like this would cost me my job,” he says, “When I see big white shoe law firms, quote, ‘make a deal’ with a presidential administration that's pretty clear in its intent to test every single constitutional boundary that exists, it would be impossible for me as an attorney to tell a client that their interests are represented to the fullest extent.”

Watch the full interview above to hear Jackson’s account of how he thinks he was targeted, the status of the family he was helping, and whether this was a high-level attempt at intimidating lawyers who help immigrants under threat of deportation.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Mehdi UnfilteredBy Zeteo

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

143 ratings


More shows like Mehdi Unfiltered

View all
Democracy Now! Audio by Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! Audio

5,665 Listeners

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

3,458 Listeners

The Katie Halper Show by Katie Halper

The Katie Halper Show

1,465 Listeners

The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept

The Intercept Briefing

6,114 Listeners

Pod Save the World by Crooked Media

Pod Save the World

24,503 Listeners

The DSR Network by The DSR Network

The DSR Network

1,729 Listeners

Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast by Chris Hayes, MSNBC & NBCNews THINK

Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

9,656 Listeners

Strict Scrutiny by Crooked Media

Strict Scrutiny

5,499 Listeners

The Owen Jones Podcast by Owen Jones

The Owen Jones Podcast

149 Listeners

Makdisi Street by Makdisi Bros.

Makdisi Street

350 Listeners

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends by Zeteo

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends

410 Listeners

Two Outspoken by Zeteo

Two Outspoken

79 Listeners

Unshocked with Naomi Klein by Zeteo

Unshocked with Naomi Klein

44 Listeners

The Chris Hedges Report by Chris Hedges

The Chris Hedges Report

221 Listeners

Drop Site News by Drop Site News

Drop Site News

408 Listeners

Bowman and Bush by Zeteo

Bowman and Bush

16 Listeners