Advertise on podcast: Immigration Realities

Cities need immigration to thrive. These newcomers allow for a mix of cultures and ideas that shapes innovation and economic growth. From New York to Paris to Mexico City and Washington, D.C., Dr. Castañeda’s new book, Immigration and Urban Vitality: How Newcomers Make Cities Strong, discusses the history and development of these cities, the important role immigrants have played, and the unique nature of city borders compared to states. In this episode, Dr. Ernesto Castañeda and Andrew Selee will dive into the new book, covering everything from its inspiration to the process and critical questions about immigration and cities today. Ernesto Castañeda is the Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab. He is a full Professor at the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service at American University. Castañeda has published over a dozen books and articles, and his insights and commentary are frequently featured in public talks, policy discussions, and major media outlets, making him a prominent voice in public debates on immigration and Latino issues. His analyses have appeared in prominent news outlets such as The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR, and more. Andrew Selee is President of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a global, nonpartisan public policy organization that seeks to advance immigration and integration approaches that are in the societal interest through evidence-based work. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches courses on global migration.

Hondurans have been at the heart of some of the most visible migration phenomena in the last few years, as well as the direct target of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy. In Leave If You Can, Amelia Frank-Vitale offers a detailed portrait of the Honduran exodus and what it reveals about the broader consequences of changing US border enforcement policies. She highlights the stories of those who are often presented as unsympathetic: deported young men implicitly associated with the very violence they are trying to flee. In the process, she challenges underlying assumptions frequently held by policy makers and humanitarian agencies. In this talk, Frank-Vitale gives an overview of the book and details the field work in Honduras and Mexico that helped inform her writing. This is followed by comments by Professor Ulla D. Berg of Rutgers University and Dr. Ernesto Castañeda of American University. We encourage you to tune in, as our goal is to spark awareness, challenge assumptions, and promote a deeper understanding of this important topic.  Authors: Amelia Frank-Vitale is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the author of Leave If You Can: Migration and Violence in Bordered Worlds. Frank-Vitale studies how people manage and make sense of an ever-expanding US border regime in the Americas. Her body of work connects regional immigration and security policies, organized crime, state violence, and strategic im/mobility as a survival strategy in Honduras and in migration. Ulla D. Berg is an Associate Professor at the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Anthropology and former Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Rutgers (2015-2021). As a sociocultural and visual anthropologist specializing in Latin America and in Latino communities in the U.S., Prof. Berg's research focuses on historical and contemporary processes and experiences of migration and mobility within Latin America and between this region and the United States.  Ernesto Castañeda is the Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab. He is a full Professor at the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service at American University. Castañeda has published over a dozen books and articles and his insights and commentary are frequently featured in public talks, policy discussions, and major media outlets, making him a prominent voice in public debates on immigration and Latino issues. His analyses have appeared in prominent news outlets such as The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR and more.

This episode covers immigration policies under the Biden administration with Amanda Baran – the former Principal Director for Immigration Policy and Chief of Public Engagement at USCIS. Ms. Baran’s public service career spans over a decade at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she held several leadership positions in which she advanced immigration, civil rights, and gender equity initiatives. In this conversation, Baran along with Dr. Ernesto Castañeda and Marshall Plane explore the work done by USCIS under President Biden, contrasting it with changes to the agency in Trump’s second term. We encourage students at American University to tune in, as our goal is to spark awareness, challenge assumptions, and promote a deeper understanding of this important topic.  Authors: Amanda Baran is a research fellow at the Immigration Lab at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. She served on the Biden-Harris Transition Team and subsequently held a senior political appointment in the Biden Administration as Chief of Policy and Strategy at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Ernesto Castañeda, PhD is the Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab. He is a full Professor at the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service at American University. Castañeda has published over a dozen books and articles and his insights and commentary are frequently featured in public talks, policy discussions, and major media outlets, making him a prominent voice in public debates on immigration and Latino issues. His analyses have appeared in prominent news outlets such as The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR and more.  Marshall Plane is a Research Coordinator at the Immigration Lab. His research focuses on immigration in urban areas, with on recent arrivals to New York City. Plane is a Co-author of the newly published book Global Pathways: To Becoming New Americans.

This podcast dives into the many narratives surrounding immigration, from widely believed myths to the truth backed by real facts. In our conversations, we explore how media often shapes and distorts public perception, while highlighting the lived realities of immigration that are often overlooked. We especially encourage students at American University to tune in, as our goal is to spark awareness, challenge assumptions, and promote a deeper understanding of this important topic.  Authors: Jadie Bonilla is a Research Intern at the Immigration Lab and at the Center for Latin American & Latino Studies. She is in the Neuroscience program in the College of Arts and Sciences at American University. Jackson Wu is a Research Intern at the Immigration Lab. His research focuses on the intersection of international migration, labor, and health.

This episode explores the idea of “belonging” as something that is built over time rather than instantly granted, especially in the context of migration and community life. Through a conversation with Sol Espinoza and host Ernesto Castañeda, it looks at how immigrants navigate identity, community acceptance, and connection after arriving in a new place. A central theme is that belonging is not just about legal status or physical presence, but about the social, emotional, and everyday processes that help people feel recognized and included in a community.

In the current political climate, it may seem as though all migration to the United States is being prohibited; however some legal pathways to entry are actually being expanded and implemented. The H2A agricultural guestworker visa program allows farmers to sponsor migrant workers to enter the US legally, providing essential transportation and housing for the duration of their stay. This program is growing rapidly as a response to the loss of undocumented labor due to detentions and deportations. While the visa offers clear benefits, it presents unique challenges—specifically the power dynamics created when an employee is legally tied to a single employer. Dr. Ernesto Castañeda and Jesse Ontiveros discuss the rewards and risks of this system and its potential as a surprising pathway to residency.  Jesse Ontiveros is an artist, academic, and aspiring podcaster. After earning a BA in Anthropology from UCLA, he is currently pursuing an MA in Intercultural Relations and International Communication at American University.

This episode centers on a real community question from a listener in Maryland about what people should do if ICE shows up in their community. The discussion directly addresses that concern and several common myths and misunderstandings about immigration enforcement. This conversation features Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, Marcy Campos, and Monica Palacio, who bring academic, legal, and community perspectives to the topic. Together, they unpack how immigration enforcement actually works, how misinformation spreads, and what kinds of fears communities often experience when discussing ICE activity.

American University Sociology Research & Practice MA students present research at the 2025 Public Anthropology conference, drawing on 233 in-depth interviews with recently arrived migrants in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. This collaborative project features work by Anjini Patel, Hannah Wingo, Amanda Vincent, Quinn Pierson, Olivia Salamone, Tabby Ford, Katheryn Olmos, Caryalyn Jean, and Dr. Ernesto Castañeda.

Chris Belden, Research Assistant at the Immigration Lab, discusses the exclusion of LGBT+ refugees in Kenya's Shikira Plan and discusses possible solutions.

CNN correspondent Priscilla Álvarez visits to discuss how recent immigration policy shifts impact people, communities, and international relations. She shares what it's like reporting on immigration today and talks about the role of journalists in promoting a fact-based narrative around immigration.

Dr. Ernesto Castañeda continues the conversation of Immigration Realities, while addressing misconceptions surrounding migration trends, lifestyles, and integration. His talk is followed by a Q & A with members of the American University community.

“Criminalized by Design: How U.S. Immigration Policy Hurts Families, Not Crime Rates”  Immigration Congressional Policy Brief May 21, 2025 Dirksen Senate Office Building 1) Charis Kubrin, UCI Criminology, Law & Society, “The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant: How Policy Based on Fear Fails Us All” Immigration-related policies founded on an assumption of widespread immigrant criminality or claims of a strong immigration-crime link are likely to be ineffective at reducing crime, and can lead to significant collateral consequences for individuals, families and communities. 2) Irene Vega, UCI Sociology, “Who Enforces, and Why? Rethinking Immigration Agents, Training, and Oversight”  The major lesson of my work is that we need major structural changes in the U.S. immigration system, including: decoupling of immigration and criminal law, divesting from for-profit prisons and other corporations that shape immigration enforcement policy, and a fundamental rethinking of how we hire and train immigration agents. 3) Beth Baker, UCDC Anthropology, “The Hidden Costs of Mass Deportation” Trump is promising to deport millions of people with long-standing ties to US society. The economic costs are enormous: immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation constitute the largest single federal law enforcement cost to the nation. The human costs are even more significant. 4) Ernesto Castaneda, American University, CLALS, “The Mental Health Toll of Immigration Enforcement” Many immigrants face significant trauma in their countries of origin and immigration law enforcement creates new stressors that exacerbate PTSD, depression, and anxiety. These conditions can be minimized through programs that aid immigrant integration and mental health. Moderated and organized by: Tanya Golash-Boza, Director, University of California, DC Center

In this episode, we listen to "Immigration In Focus: Insights from Policy Experts," an event that took place at American University on Thursday, April 24; though the negative effects of punitive immigration policies are always evergreen. This episode pairs well with this blogpost https://theimmigrationlab.org/blog/f/campaigning-against-immigrants-is-often-a-losing-proposition Speakers include: Amy Dacey, Director, AU’s Sine Institute of Policy & Politics Jayesh Rathod, Director, Immigrant Justice Clinic in AU’s Washington College of Law               Ernesto Castañeda, Director, AU’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, and the Immigration Lab Alex Araya, Staff Attorney, Detained Adult Program, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights Moderate by Julia Manchester from The Hill Episode edited by Noah Green

In this podcast, the Immigration Lab researchers discuss some of the results of ongoing research including over 200 in-depth interviews with new arrivals, including immigrants, asylum seekers, people with TPS, parole, and other humanitarian permits in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and New York City from Ecuador, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico, and Ukraine.

This podcast is a recording of a live immigration policy panel that took place at American University on April 4, 2025. The first in a series of 2 podcasts. Interviewer Todd Zwillich, co-host of 1A on WAMU, DC's NPR station. Speakers include Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Migration Policy Institute; Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, American Immigration Council; and Ernesto Castaneda, The Immigration Lab, discuss the immigration policies of the current administration. Co-organized by The Center of Latin American and Latino Studies, The Immigration Lab, the Sine Institute, and the Environment, Development, and Health Department of the School of International Service at American University.