The Rational Middle

Julia Gelatt, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, sits down with host Chris Lyon for a conversation about the economic effects and social causes of America's demographic shifts, as well as the historic entanglement between immigration and anxieties about the make-up of the nation.

Julie Sugarman, Senior Policy Analyst for PreK-12 Education at the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, takes us through the ins and outs of immigrant children's rights to education, the legal frameworks that enshrine these rights, and what challenges still exist.

Joy Olson, former Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), returns to the Rational Middle—this time to discuss the under-represented phenomenon of migrant kidnappings: what it is, how it works, and the policies that make it worse.

What is it about immigration that attracts extremist speech? What even is extremism? Mark Potok, seasoned expert on the American radical right, takes us on a tour of nativism and the roots of immigration misinformation in this wide-ranging conversation with host Loren Steffy.

The team sits down for an almost-teary reflection on 100 episodes of The Rational Middle Podcast: highlights, lowlights (there were none), what Gregory and Chris are upto in DC, and a few predictions about what the future of immigration reform might have in store.

Jennifer Mercieca, award-winning historian and analyst of American political rhetoric, speaks with host Loren Steffy about the rhetorical strategies demagogues use to elicit supporters' emotions, and what this means for our public sphere. You don't want to miss this eye-opening (and amygdala-freeing) episode.

Dane Stangler, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Bipartisan Policy Center and also Senior Advisor at the Global Entrepreneurship Network, joins host Loren Steffy over the airwaves to discuss the sometimes neglected role of immigrants as entrepreneurs and how the U.S. immigration system could better welcome their contributions.

What is the immigration court system, how does it work, and what makes it different from regular courts? Immigration attorney Elizabeth Mendoza sheds light on this vital topic with host Loren Steffy.

"Immigration is a Black issue," says Allen Orr, President of The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Listen in as we resume our regular podcast programming with Allen Orr and host Melissa Brannan unpacking the specificity and oft-neglected reality of Black immigrant experiences, recently brought to the fore with the Haitian crisis.

Mo Kantner (Director of State & Local Initiatives at New American Economy) and Rational Middle's very own Gregory Kallenberg wrap the Immigration Mythbusting limited series with a close look at why the myth that immigrants don't want to integrate, learn English, or participate in American culture continues to persist in the minds of many.