The Rational Middle

Join the hosts for a 2020 roundup during the 50th episode. We look back at the first 50 episodes of The Rational Middle Podcast, kicking off season 2 of The Rational Middle Documentary Series, the pandemic, the election, and immigration's intersectionality.

Loren C. Steffy, an author and the executive producer of The Rational Middle of Immigration documentary series, speaks with host Chris Lyon about the release of his new book "Deconstructed: An Insider's View of Illegal Immigration and the Building Trades" which intertwines construction industry leader Stan Marek's family history, the timeline of the Marek family of companies, and the history of immigration.

Dr. Ruth Ellen Wasem has just completed a major study of Trump's asylum policies. In her findings, she breaks down the kinds of actions his administration takes into three distinct categories which help provide historical and global geopolitical context for America's changing immigration system.

Children are the future of our country and our world. How we welcome immigrant children and children of immigrant parents will define the course our nation takes. Dr. Robert Sanborn, President and CEO of Children at Risk, a research and advocacy organization, talks about their data-driven approach to changing policy in Texas.

This morning we are announcing the premiere episode of season 2 of our documentary video series on immigration in association with Children at Risk, an organization which serves as a catalyst for change to improve the quality of life for children through strategic research, public policy analysis, education, collaboration, and advocacy.

Dr. Linda Lopez, former Chief of the Office of Immigrant Affairs in Los Angeles under Mayor Eric Garcetti. She talks about her experience in cultivating a more welcoming community through creation of services which extended economic and social opportunities to new Americans, and how those concepts could translate to cities across America.

It is often easy to forget how integrated into American society undocumented immigrants are, but Carlos Aguilar's journey is proof positive that they can have a positive economic and cultural impact on the United States, despite the challenges they face.

As the administration continues to push hard against immigration, esteemed professor Dr. Michael E. Webber of the University of Texas at Austin recounts his experience with immigrants in academia and why he believes that continuing to welcome immigrant students, researchers, and professors is key to American prosperity.

Randy Capps is Director of Research for U.S. Programs at the Migration Policy Institute and he sits down with us to discuss the varying perspectives on costs of the undocumented population in America and what those differing perspectives might bring to finding a solution that works for everyone.

Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) talks with Rational Middle's Gregory Kallenberg about the opportunity that immigration brings to our country and how that aligns with core values across the American experience.