ABOUT "THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT"

“The American Immigrant” podcast aims to bring an honest and accurate discussion of the lives of immigrants without the noise and talking points.  This podcast will discuss the complicated history of immigration, the journeys individuals undertake to reach the United States, the lives of immigrants in this country, and how our policies toward immigration should change in the future.

You can listen to the episodes right here on the website, or on iTunes by clicking here. 

Immigration in the United States is widely discussed but greatly misunderstood.  Many abuse this issue in order to stir nativist anger rather than inspire meaningful discussion and progress.  We frequently talk about immigration in very extreme, black-and-white buzzwords, such as “illegal immigration,” “mass deportation,” and “pathway to citizenship.”  Some of the terms, such as “anchor baby,” are derogatory and only serve to fuel anger and divide our country. 

Long before the Declaration of Independence was conceived, people struggled, fought, killed and compromised to call this land “home.”  Over the past 250 years, people have come to America for a wide variety of reasons: some by choice and some by force, some in search of more economic opportunity and some seeking refuge from war-torn regions, some to reunite with family members and some to escape persecution.  The history of immigration is, to a large degree, the history of America.