Broadcasts from the Border

Stories from the Border

A podcast exploring U.S. immigration and border issues. Featuring interviews, narrative pieces, and creative audio storytelling. The brainchild of journalists working on the publication, Stories from the Border. Created by Jess Eng (producer, editor) and Meena Venkataramanan (host).

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Episodes

EP8: When Borders Cross People

In this episode, we talk to activists and scholars from the US-Mexico borderlands and occupied Palestine to learn about the walls that divide indigenous people in each region. We look at how militarization of imposed lines impacts Tohono O’Odham and Palestinian communities, as well as the shared narratives of oppression and resistance. Reporting by Shraddha Joshi. A non-exhaustive list of additional resources on militarization, settler colonialism, and occupation in the US-Mexico borderlands and...

Jul 20, 2021•40 min•Ep. 8

EP7: Writing on the Border

This week, Meena interviews Valeria Luiselli, an author and essayist who has chronicled the journeys of unaccompanied children from Central America to the United States in her 2017 essay, “Tell Me How It Ends” and her 2019 novel, “Lost Children Archive.” We talk about finding inspiration for her writing, how translation plays a role in her books, and what she imagines her future writing will look like.

Dec 18, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 7

EP6: Keeping the Borderlands Close

In this episode, former U.S. Border Patrol agent and author Francisco Cantú discusses his 2018 memoir, The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches from the Border. He grapples with his experiences in the force — including the harrowing and the heartbreaking — and, in turn, the important lessons he learned about the U.S.-Mexico border and systemic reform of the immigration system.

Aug 30, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 6

EP5: Priced Out of Education

State law prohibits Arizona’s undocumented high school graduates from attending college as in-state students, making higher education unaffordable. We sat down with Angel Palazuelos, Reyna Montoya, and Dr. Tom Nerini to discuss in-state tuition access in Arizona. Reporting by Nik Kirk.

Aug 16, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 5

EP4: Crimmigration Nation

This week, Stories from the Border Summer Fellow, Julia Huesa, interviews Phil Torrey. Phil is the Managing Attorney of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. The two talk about the historical context for crimmigration, his work with clients, and the impact of crimmigration during the COVID pandemic.

Jul 28, 2020•21 min

EP3: Refusing to Forget

This week, our producer Jess Eng interviews Professor John Morán González, who is an English professor at The University of Texas at Austin and the Director for the Center for Mexican American Studies. Professor González is well known for his work on early 20th century history at the US - Mexico border, and specifically, the 1915-1920 Borderlands War, an undeclared war resulting in some of the worst state-sanctioned racial violence in American history. Growing up in the border town of Brownsvill...

Jun 27, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 3

EP2: Art in Detention

This week, we’re joined by Ana Puente Flores, an immigration writer and scholar-activist from Mexico City who is currently based in New York, for a conversation on immigration detention, art, and empowerment. We talk about some misconceptions surrounding gender and immigration law in the United States, the risks detained immigrant women in particular face in detention, and why zines are an ideal platform for activism.

Jun 21, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 2

EP1: The Pandemic Paradox

Immigrants – especially those who are undocumented – are being disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Almost 280,000 undocumented immigrants work in the healthcare industry, serving on the front lines of combating the pandemic. However, their hard work in hospitals and clinics comes at a high risk of exposing themselves to the virus, and creates a paradox: they’re considered both undocumented and essential at the same time. Caitlin Dickerson, a nationa...

May 31, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Welcome to Broadcasts from the Border

Host Meena Venkataramanan introduces Stories From the Border, a new podcast from the Stories from the Border publication.

May 30, 2020•1 min

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