The Rational Middle

American economist and former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, explains the impact of undocumented immigrants on the budgets of both the federal and local governments. Doug served served as a Senior Staff Economist on President George H.W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers and chief economic policy adviser to Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He is currently president of the American Action Forum policy institute, a conservative think tank.

Stationed at the Center for Houston's Future, Steven has been focused on the impact of immigration in Houston since 2016. He has studied the demographic trends to extrapolate what the city's economic policy needs are to accommodate and welcome immigrants heading into the city's 200th anniversary in 2036.

Rice University may be home to one of immigration's most interesting thought leaders in Dr. Tony Payan. We discuss the rights and privileges different kinds of immigrants have in the United States and where those rights begin and end.

Take a trip down memory lane to the beginnings of this decade-long experiment called the Rational Middle, which was founded to create meaningful dialogues around contentious issues, and how immigration was selected as our second intensive topic.

Known for his hardline stances, Republican Congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw sits down with us to discuss his perspective on how to address the challenge of illegal border crossings, asylum cases, the long lines for legal immigration, and how politics contributes to stasis on these issues.

Yael Ross is a Center Director at Children at Risk, a Texas-based research and advocacy group that aims to use data to make the case for investment in and preservation of rights for New American Children - both documented and undocumented.

Following Hurricane Harvey in September 2017, Houston found itself in the grips of a crisis. Even before the storm caused $9 billion in housing damage, the city was struggling through a workforce shortage in the construction industry. One solution: Allow Houston's 500,000 undocumented workers come out of the shadows to help rebuild the community, together. We look back at the creation of this episode and where Houston stands today.