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"This is certainly unprecedented."
Today I’m bringing you a conversation I’ve been trying to have for some time.
My friend Billy Peard lives in South Tucson, Arizona, where his law practice serves some of the most vulnerable members of our society. When I met him back in 2014, his main legal focus was on the rights of workers — farm workers, especially — and the rights of immigrants. When it comes to immigration law, Billy is the most knowledgeable person I know, having spent years as a staff attorney for Community Legal Aid in Springfield, Massachusetts, and then as an immigration lawyer for the ACLU in Arizona.
I reached out to Billy because I hoped he could help me understand how we’ve arrived at this moment.
I think we can all agree—no matter your personal feelings about ICE or a policy of mass deportation—that something feels fundamentally different in our country today. We’re not used to this. We’re not used to stories about ICE agents detaining five-year-old kids. We’re not used to reports of ICE agents harassing local police officers. We’re not used to seeing our fellow citizens mobilizing to alert their neighbors to the presence of ICE agents in the community. We’re certainly not used to seeing an American citizen shot and killed by an ICE agent while trying to drive away.
How do we account for this? Is the second Trump administration doing anything that’s actually all that different from what came before? Or are we just getting swept up in a media-induced hysteria?
I asked Billy about all this and more. As you listen, you may notice that the word “unprecedented” is used more than once. Billy believes that ICE’s conduct under this current administration is indeed unprecedented—and very likely unconstitutional. But to understand exactly how this moment is unprecedented, it’s important to understand how we got here, and Billy very generously helps us do that. Some topics we cover:
* Billy’s journey into immigration law
* SB 1070, the Arizona “show your papers” law, passed in 2010, which galvanized the left and inspired Billy to get involved
* Immigration law during Trump’s first term
* Biden immigration policy: Was it an open border?
* America’s complicated—and often contradictory—relationship to immigration
* Immigration enforcement under Trump 2.0
* Is ICE only targeting serious criminals? If not, is this what people thought they were voting for?
* What is due process and why should Americans care about it?
* The effectiveness of nonviolent civil disobedience
A note on the recording: Billy did the whole interview while watching his two-year-old daughter Milena. If you notice an occasional awkward cut, it’s because Billy got up to go get her a snack or find another coloring book for her. You’ll also have the privilege of hearing from the kiddo directly. Big thanks to Billy—and to Milena for letting me borrow her dad’s attention for a little while.
Get full access to The Long Walk Home at billyglidden.substack.com/subscribe
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By Billy GliddenToday I’m bringing you a conversation I’ve been trying to have for some time.
My friend Billy Peard lives in South Tucson, Arizona, where his law practice serves some of the most vulnerable members of our society. When I met him back in 2014, his main legal focus was on the rights of workers — farm workers, especially — and the rights of immigrants. When it comes to immigration law, Billy is the most knowledgeable person I know, having spent years as a staff attorney for Community Legal Aid in Springfield, Massachusetts, and then as an immigration lawyer for the ACLU in Arizona.
I reached out to Billy because I hoped he could help me understand how we’ve arrived at this moment.
I think we can all agree—no matter your personal feelings about ICE or a policy of mass deportation—that something feels fundamentally different in our country today. We’re not used to this. We’re not used to stories about ICE agents detaining five-year-old kids. We’re not used to reports of ICE agents harassing local police officers. We’re not used to seeing our fellow citizens mobilizing to alert their neighbors to the presence of ICE agents in the community. We’re certainly not used to seeing an American citizen shot and killed by an ICE agent while trying to drive away.
How do we account for this? Is the second Trump administration doing anything that’s actually all that different from what came before? Or are we just getting swept up in a media-induced hysteria?
I asked Billy about all this and more. As you listen, you may notice that the word “unprecedented” is used more than once. Billy believes that ICE’s conduct under this current administration is indeed unprecedented—and very likely unconstitutional. But to understand exactly how this moment is unprecedented, it’s important to understand how we got here, and Billy very generously helps us do that. Some topics we cover:
* Billy’s journey into immigration law
* SB 1070, the Arizona “show your papers” law, passed in 2010, which galvanized the left and inspired Billy to get involved
* Immigration law during Trump’s first term
* Biden immigration policy: Was it an open border?
* America’s complicated—and often contradictory—relationship to immigration
* Immigration enforcement under Trump 2.0
* Is ICE only targeting serious criminals? If not, is this what people thought they were voting for?
* What is due process and why should Americans care about it?
* The effectiveness of nonviolent civil disobedience
A note on the recording: Billy did the whole interview while watching his two-year-old daughter Milena. If you notice an occasional awkward cut, it’s because Billy got up to go get her a snack or find another coloring book for her. You’ll also have the privilege of hearing from the kiddo directly. Big thanks to Billy—and to Milena for letting me borrow her dad’s attention for a little while.
Get full access to The Long Walk Home at billyglidden.substack.com/subscribe