Best Adam Isacson Podcasts (2024)

1
What to Make of the U.S. and Mexican Elections: A Podcast with Alexander Aviña 54:10

10h ago54:10

54:10

Take a ride on the electoral rollercoaster--and how it impacts the border and U.S.-Mexico relations--with one of the most insightful historians out there. It’s been a while, Border Chronicle readers and listeners. Since we took our annual July break, the U.S. political landscape has shifted considerably. At least partly because of this, we will tak…

1
"The Scrutiny Should Be Public to All Citizens:" the aftermath of Venezuela's July election 32:35

8d ago32:35

32:35

On July 28, 2024, Venezuela held a long-awaited presidential election. More than 25 years after Hugo Chávez was first elected, his successor, Nicolas Maduro, ran for a third term. The opposition coalesced around a candidate; despite many obstacles, the opposition had a big enthusiasm advantage, and turnout on July 28th was very high. In the end, th…

1
Unbuild Walls: A Podcast with Silky Shah 53:33

1M ago53:33

53:33

In her classic utopian science fiction novel The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I’m going to fulfill my proper function in the social organism. I’m going to unbuild walls.” Author Silky Shah has framed an entire book around that quote, and Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition c…

1
Fix the Asylum System, Protect Human Rights: A Podcast with Adam Isacson 40:39

18d ago40:39

40:39

In June, President Biden issued an executive order restricting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new restriction was supported by many prominent newspaper columnists—few of whom offered alternative solutions or examined the order’s impact on human rights, says Adam Isacson, a longtime expert on Latin America and U.S. immigration policy. “The Bi…

1
The Walls Have Eyes: A Podcast with Petra Molnar 45:00

2M ago45:00

45:00

If you want to learn about border technology, listen to this conversation about a new book on surviving migration in the age of artificial intelligence. Last week I attended the 17th annual Border Security Expo in El Paso, Texas, which focused on border enforcement technology. I mention this because I can’t think of a better person to talk to about…

1
On a Far-Right Movement Beyond Trump: A podcast with Heidi Beirich 34:48

2M ago34:48

34:48

It’s tough enough to get Americans to realize that if Donald Trump wins in November, it would most likely mean the end of representative democracy in the United States. Even tougher, however, is to make Americans aware that even if Trump doesn’t win, many authoritarian policy changes are already being rolled out in states like Texas and Alabama. So…

1
The Case for Open Borders: A Podcast with John Washington 45:34

3M ago45:34

45:34

A defining issue of this century will be people on the move and where they settle. Wealthier countries like the U.S. are responding by walling themselves off from the rest of the world and investing in deterrence and detention, which only contributes to more deaths and misery while providing no long-term solutions. There must be a better way. This …

1
A Groundbreaking ‘Win’ at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs 53:56

4M ago53:56

53:56

On March 14-22, 2024, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) held its 67th annual session in Vienna, Austria. The session saw a landmark vote that may have important repercussions for drug policy, in Latin America and elsewhere. The commission approved a U.S.-led resolution encouraging countries to implement “harm reduction” measures to respond …

1
What's Missing in the National Debate About the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Podcast with Melissa and Todd 50:58

5M ago50:58

50:58

Water, climate change, and the right-wing disinformation ecosystem...The Border Chronicle founders discuss what should be on everyone's radar when we talk about the borderlands this presidential election season. Read or listen to more of The Border Chronicle at www.theborderchronicle.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/…

1
A Map of Future Ruins: A Podcast with Lauren Markham 43:54

4M ago43:54

43:54

Join us for an illuminating conversation about borders, belonging, myths, and oracles. She warns, “What we have created is a ruinous map for a ruinous future.” I was so happy to get a chance to talk with writer, author, and journalist Lauren Markham about her insightful and page-turning new book A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging. In t…

1
Flooding the Zone: the "Bukele Model,” Security and Democracy in El Salvador 57:47

5M ago57:47

57:47

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele just won re-election by a broad margin as a massive security crackdown has reduced gangs’ role in everyday life. But the increasingly authoritarian “Bukele model” has a big long-term downside, Douglas Farah explains. --- It has been almost a month since Nayib Bukele was reelected as President of El Salvador by a…

1
Jaguars and Resilience in the Borderlands: A Podcast with Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity 36:20

5M ago36:20

36:20

In January, the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity confirmed an exciting discovery near the Arizona-Mexico border: the first sighting of a jaguar never previously identified in Arizona. Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate at the center, has been tracking the jaguar population in the borderlands for several years. The rare a…

1
Violence in Ecuador: Getting Beyond Stopgap Solutions 1:02:52

6M ago1:02:52

1:02:52

A January outbreak of criminal violence in Ecuador made headlines worldwide. Now, a new government is cracking down in ways that recall other countries' "mano dura" policies, and the U.S. government stands ready to help. Is this the right way forward? While this isn’t the first time Ecuador’s government has declared a state of exception, the promin…

1
The Everywhere Border: A Podcast with Mizue Aizeki 45:24

6M ago45:24

45:24

As widespread election border theater kicks in, the director of the Surveillance Resistance Lab talks about smart borders, border externalization, “identity dominance,” and what can be done about it. Well, this week has been a doozy on the U.S.-Mexico border. There is the continued Texas standoff between the federal government and Operation Lonesta…

1
A New Chapter in Guatemala's Anti-Corruption Struggle 55:38

6M ago55:38

55:38

After relentless attempts to block his inauguration and a nine-hour delay, Bernardo Arévalo, who ran for Guatemala’s presidency on an anti-corruption platform, was sworn into office minutes after midnight on January 14. In this highly educational episode, WOLA Director for Central America Ana María Méndez Dardón is joined by WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-M…

1
How the Right Wing Hijacked the Border Narrative: A Podcast with Conservative Media Expert AJ Bauer 57:33

6M ago57:33

57:33

How did right-wing media hijack the narrative around the U.S.-Mexico border? You’ve probably heard the terms “military age men,” “invasion,” and “Biden’s open borders” bandied about in the media and among congressional leaders. These deliberately dehumanizing terms have shaped the way Americans view the U.S.-Mexico border as the 2024 election seaso…

1
Understanding Regional Migration in an Election Year 53:33

7M ago53:33

53:33

As congressional negotiations place asylum and other legal protection pathways at risk, and as we approach a 2024 election year with migration becoming a higher priority for voters in the United States, we found it important to discuss the current moment's complexities. WOLA’s vice president for Programs, Maureen Meyer, former director for WOLA’s M…

1
Prepare Yourselves for the 2024 Border Chaos Narrative: A Conversation with Erika Pinheiro 46:33

7M ago46:33

46:33

Al Otro Lado's executive director discusses what’s to come this election year: more of the CBP One app and open-air border prisons, along with a hyper-distorted fearmongering narrative of overwhelm. So, dear listeners, it is time to continue preparing ourselves for 2024 (check out Melissa’s Tuesday piece). As we know, during an election year the bo…

1
Taking Stock After a Tumultuous Year in the Americas: A Conversation with Carolina Jiménez Sandoval 50:28

8M ago50:28

50:28

A conversation with WOLA's President, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, about the year ahead. She discusses current challenges in the Americas within four areas that are orienting WOLA's current work: democracy, migration, climate, and gender and racial justice.

1
Asylum at the U.S.-Mexico Border has Never Been More Complex: A Podcast with Caitlyn Yates 38:18

7M ago38:18

38:18

It’s been almost a year since the U.S. government rolled out the CBPOne app, which was meant to reduce the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. But a historic number of people continue to arrive. In Lukeville, Arizona, people from all over the world line up to be processed by Border Patrol with the aim of applying for asylum, whil…

1
Education Instead of Barbed Wire and Walls: A Podcast with Felicia Rangel-Samporano 55:56

8M ago55:56

55:56

The co-founder of the Sidewalk School, which provides services to asylum seeking families in Mexico's migrant camps, talks about racism and Black migration, border disinformation, and how governments could alleviate suffering at the border. Check out more local border journalism at theborderchronicle.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters…

1
Climate Change Oppression: A Podcast with Amali Tower 1:00:53

9M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

“It’s not difficult to understand that a population that makes its livelihood off the land would find climate change oppressive, and would find climate change to be tantamount to persecution.” All signs indicate that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, yet again. If this sounds like something you’ve heard before, it is. Every year it seems lik…

1
Reforming Asylum for the 21st Century: A Podcast with Immigration Expert Muzzafar Chishti 41:45

9M ago41:45

41:45

Muzzafar Chishti, a lawyer, is a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and director of MPI’s office at New York University School of Law. He specializes in immigration policy and has spent years researching and writing about the United States’ outdated asylum system, which he says is “built on a 1952 architecture.” Chish…

1
The Borderlands Are Beautiful: A Podcast with Petey Mesquitey 35:55

10M ago35:55

35:55

The legendary storyteller takes us on a trip through the Arizona borderlands, its sky islands, flora and fauna, all the way to the border wall with Mexico. “The borderlands are beautiful.” That’s how Petey Mesquitey always ends his weekly show Growing Native on the Tucson community radio station KXCI. And that was my first question to Petey in this…

1
A Live Podcast with David Taylor, Artist and Border Researcher 1:21:11

10M ago1:21:11

1:21:11

Recorded at the Tin Shed Theater with the wonderful people of Patagonia, Arizona, we talk about Taylor's fascinating career as an educator and artist who challenges our perceptions of borders. David Taylor is a visual artist who works with drone footage, photography, and other art forms to question our sense of place, territory, history, and politi…

1
Planning, Unity, and Discipline: the Keys to Non-Violent Social Change in the Americas 1:05:34

10M ago1:05:34

1:05:34

Maria Belén Garrido, a research lecturer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, and Jeffrey Pugh, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, lead the Regional Institute for the Study and Practice of Strategic Nonviolent Action in the Americas. The institute provides training, capacity building, and networking oppor…

1
On Civil Rights and Operation Lone Star in South Texas: A Podcast with Roberto Lopez 41:29

10M ago41:29

41:29

Roberto Lopez, born and raised in South Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, leads the Texas Civil Rights Project’s Beyond Borders Program, which works to defend the civil and human rights of border communities and of the people migrating through the borderlands. Inspired by the United Farm Workers movement, the nonprofit Texas Civil Rights Project was found…

1
“People Need Representation”: A Podcast with Immigration Lawyer Margo Cowan 56:31

11M ago56:31

56:31

The lawyer and longtime community organizer talks about her two-year ban from practicing immigration law, how she is responding to it, and her history of border organizing and advocacy in Arizona. In July the Board of Immigration Appeals ordered that prominent federal immigration lawyer and longtime community organizer Margo Cowan be barred for two…

1
Mexico: “Demilitarization is not going to happen from one day to the next. But there needs to be that commitment” 1:06:39

11M ago1:06:39

1:06:39

A new report from WOLA dives deeply into the growing power and roles of Mexico’s military, and what that means for human rights, democracy, and U.S.-Mexico relations. WOLA’s Mexico Program published Militarized Transformation: Human Rights and Democratic Controls in a Context of Increasing Militarization in Mexico on September 6. The report voices …

1
Venezuela: “The way out of this situation has to be through a democratic and peaceful solution” 49:42

11M ago49:42

49:42

Venezuela is to hold presidential elections sometime in 2024. Whether they will be at least somewhat free and fair, moving the country away from authoritarianism and toward democracy, is unlikely but far from impossible. It is a goal that must guide the international community and Venezuelan civil society. That is one of the central messages of Lau…

1
Advocacy for Migrants at a Challenging Time: The View from Mexico 47:55

11M ago47:55

47:55

Gretchen Kuhner directs the Mexico City-based Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI). She explains the challenges and complexities—and occasional advocacy successes—of the current moment of record migration and changing policies, viewed from Mexico.By Adam Isacson

1
A View from the Darién Gap: A podcast with Caitlyn Yates 43:54

11M ago43:54

43:54

Why do people keep risking their lives in the Darién? Caitlyn Yates, a PhD student in socio-cultural anthropology at the University of British Columbia, has spent years researching this question. Yates has been traveling to the Darién Gap since 2018 to document changes in the region and interview hundreds of people who have chosen to take the risky…

1
Border Fortification and the El Paso Massacre: A Conversation with Gilberto Rosas 41:25

12M ago41:25

41:25

“The mass shooting of August 3, 2019, demands a reckoning. It must be situated in a recent and vicious amplification of preexisting U.S. border and immigration policy.” On August 3, 2019, a mass shooting took place in El Paso, Texas. After hearing reports of the shooting, anthropologist Gilberto Rosas tried to call his parents, who live in El Paso,…

1
Good Governance Needs Good Data: the Central America Monitor Looks Ahead 51:34

1y ago51:34

51:34

Joining WOLA with partners in three countries, the Central America Monitor has tracked governance indicators during a very difficult nine years. WOLA's Elizabeth Kennedy and Lisette Vásquez of the Myrna Mack Foundation explain this important work.

1
On Social Justice and Self Care: A Podcast with Psychotherapist Alejandra Spector 47:54

1y ago47:54

47:54

Alejandra Spector is a practicing psychotherapist and licensed master social worker, from El Paso, Texas. Spector, who now lives in Austin, grew up in a bilingual family of border activists. Her father, Carlos Spector, is a well-known asylum and human rights lawyer, and her mother, Sandra Spector, is a longtime community organizer who runs the fami…

1
The Longer Story of the Border Patrol Killing of a Tohono O’odham Man: A Conversation with Amy Juan 40:14

1y ago40:14

40:14

Tohono O’odham leader Amy Juan describes the May 18 killing of Raymond Mattia and the long context of border militarization that led to it. On May 18, Raymond Mattia stepped out of his house after he saw the U.S. Border Patrol arrive. He lived in the small community of Ali Chuk (also known as Menagers Dam), located about one mile from the U.S.-Mexi…

1
Fentanyl: "What sounds tough isn't necessarily a serious policy" 55:25

1y ago55:25

55:25

From a traditional drug policy perspective, fentanyl would appear to be an intractable problem. It also threatens a rift in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. WOLA's John Walsh and Stephanie Brewer point to better ways to respond to this challenge.By Adam Isacson

1
A Growing Public Health Crisis: A Conversation with Dr. Alexander Tenorio on Border Wall Injuries 27:39

1y ago27:39

27:39

In 2020, Dr. Alexander Tenorio, a neurosurgeon based in San Diego, noticed a sharp increase in people suffering traumatic brain and spinal injuries. These cases, he soon discovered, were the result of people falling from the newly expanded and elevated border wall. Under the Trump administration, the border wall’s height was raised to 30 feet, whic…

1
Into the Heart of Narcopolitics and Journalism: A Conversation with Melissa del Bosque about a harrowing article she wrote on the murder of Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach 48:25

1y ago48:25

48:25

For the first time in the history of The Border Chronicle, Melissa del Bosque and Todd Miller have done a podcast together. Don’t worry, it comes with the requisite banter, especially at the beginning. But the brunt of the conversation is a deep dive into Melissa’s chilling, page-turning article in The New Yorker, “A Covert Mission to Solve a Mexic…

1
“We can’t deter our way out of this”: a view from the Honduras-Nicaragua border 36:17

1+ y ago36:17

36:17

WOLA staff report from Honduras after a visit to the border with Nicaragua, where we witnessed a historic migration flow. As government and service providers struggle to manage this result of a series of policy failures, it's not clear what lies ahead.By Adam Isacson

1
State Sponsored Vigilantism: A Conversation with Bob Libal about Texas Legislation to Create 'Border Protection Units' 37:06

1+ y ago37:06

37:06

Texas is once again in the throes of its biennial legislative session, which will wrap up at the end of May. One of the more dangerously authoritarian bills introduced this session is HB 20, authored by Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), which would create armed citizen militias under the control of the governor. Their mission would be to hunt down undocumen…

1
An Anti-Caste Revolution: A Podcast with Sonny Singh 31:00

1+ y ago31:00

31:00

An in-depth conversation with the Sikh musician and educator about growing up as a child of immigrants and turning to music for solace and inspiration. Launching from last week’s Q&A with Sonny Singh, a Sikh musician and educator, we delve into his role in the film From Here, an eloquent and moving documentary that follows the stories of four child…

1
"The days of hoping for a magical solution are long gone": Geoff Ramsey on Venezuela 47:27

1+ y ago47:27

47:27

A conversation about the political and humanitarian moment in Venezuela, efforts to resolve the country's crisis, and the U.S. role, with Geoff Ramsey, who recently departed WOLA's Venezuela Program and is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.By Adam Isacson

1
Mapping Surveillance in Border Communities: A Conversation with Dave Maass 36:51

1+ y ago36:51

36:51

The U.S. government is doubling down and expanding its surveillance technology in border communities. But many residents don’t know the extent to which they’re being watched, given that the government rarely seeks their input. This month, the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation released new data and an interactive map of surveillance towers, w…

1
The Importance of Cross Border Journalism: A Podcast with Kendal Blust and Murphy Woodhouse 38:59

1+ y ago38:59

38:59

With media coverage shrinking, this two-person news bureau based in Hermosillo, Sonora, fills a vital role informing U.S. audiences about Mexico. https://www.theborderchronicle.com/p/the-importance-of-cross-border-journalism#details --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/border-chronicle/support…

1
Cartels on the Terrorist List? 19:34

1+ y ago19:34

19:34

Some in Washington are proposing putting Mexican criminal groups on the US government's terrorist list, or even using the US military against them on Mexican soil. Neither proposal gets at the problem of impunity for state collusion with organized crime.By Adam Isacson

1
Guatemala: An Eroding Democracy Approaches New Elections 48:21

1+ y ago48:21

48:21

Guatemala's deteriorating democracy is approaching June elections with disqualified candidates, imprisoned or exiled judicial workers and journalists, and a U.S. policy that's hard to pin down. Analysis from WOLA Central America Program Director Ana María Méndez and Council on Foreign Relations Latin America Fellow Will Freeman.…

1
Laredo's Epic Battle Against Federal and State-Funded Border Walls: A Conversation with Tricia Cortez 46:06

1+ y ago46:06

46:06

In 2019, former President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border, making border wall construction a top priority. Some of that wall was slated for the city of Laredo, Texas. Tricia Cortez, Executive Director of the nonprofit Rio Grande International Study Center, based in Laredo, talks about her community’s “David vs. Goliath” bat…

1
The Colonial Border in Kenya: Maasai leader Meitamei Olol Dapash gives an on-the-ground look at the mass exodus of people from Tanzania after a violent land grab 43:53

1+ y ago43:53

43:53

Twenty years ago, Maasai leader Meitamei Olol Dapash snuck across the Kenya-Tanzania border to report on what the Otterlo Business Corporation was doing. In today’s podcast he explains what he saw then: The company was capturing animals, sending them to zoos, and starting a trophy-hunting operation. And now, two decades later, this company wants to…

1
Warrantless Searches, Stops With No Probable Cause Are Un-American: A Conversation With Sheriff David Hathaway 51:05

1+ y ago51:05

51:05

This is the second part of The Border Chronicle’s conversation with Sheriff David Hathaway of Santa Cruz County, located on the Arizona-Mexico border. Hathaway talks about “fuzzy” border statistics, which can be used to convey anything a person wants, and his battle to take down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection “spy blimp” over the city of Noga…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Adam Isacson Podcasts

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