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John Carlos Frey sits down with Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, to talk about what mass deportation is doing to immigrant families, U.S. citizens, and the country itself. Cárdenas came to the U.S. from Bolivia at 14. Today she’s having the same conversation with her own U.S.-born kids that Latino families across the country are having: what to do if ICE pulls you over. Her cousin now carries a copy of her U.S.-citizen daughter’s passport, just in case. Relatives with legal status ask whether carrying their papers is enough. They talk about racial profiling and whether this crackdown is about enforcement or about who people are. Despite everything, Cárdenas practices what she calls “the discipline of hope.” https://theraidpodcast.org/ https://americasvoice.org/staff/vanessa-cardenas/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2018, Jess Morales Rocketto helped put people in the streets of hundreds of cities to stop family separation. Now she says the deportation machine has gotten smarter, and that pushing back still works. John Carlos Frey sits down with the organizer behind Families Belong Together and the co-founder of Maremoto, which builds Latino power through politics, media and culture. Morales Rocketto began her career in anti-genocide activism. She explains why she believes the United States is at stage four or five of the ten recognized stages of genocide, what has changed since 2018, and why public resistance in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Chicago made a difference. ABOUT THE GUEST Jess Morales Rocketto is co-founder and executive director of Maremoto. She co-founded Families Belong Together, Care in Action and Supermajority, served as political director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and worked on the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. TIME named her to its 100 Next list in 2019. She is from Norwalk, California. https://www.instagram.com/jesslivmo/?hl=en https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weeks before the November 3 midterms, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) joins John Carlos Frey to talk about ICE raids in her district, the detention center that refused to let her in, and whether immigration agents could show up at polling places. Chu represents Pasadena, Altadena, and the West San Gabriel Valley, a district hit first by the Eaton Fire and then, five months later, by immigration raids. She describes constituents who carry their passports everywhere, people arrested at the very appointments meant to legalize their status, and masked agents detaining day laborers at a Pasadena bus stop. Then, the vote. Chu explains how legal teams are preparing for 150 things that could go wrong this election, why she is urging people to vote early, and what a Democratic Congress could do on immigration reform and a path to citizenship. https://theraidpodcast.org/ https://chu.house.gov/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

ICE agents stopped a work van outside Albany, Georgia. Three men ran. One of them, 28-year-old Edgar Cabrera-Gómez, ended up pinned beneath an ICE agent's Dodge Charger in the grass median of the Liberty Expressway. The Georgia State Patrol says the agent was driving in the median. ICE says Edgar "lost his footing and slid under" the car. His family says he was run down while running away, and that the first story they were told was that he jumped out of the van and hurt himself. John Carlos Frey investigates what happened on that median and why the body camera footage that could answer questions may never be released. https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:   The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when people who have lived in the U.S. legally for decades are suddenly made undocumented? Host John Carlos Frey sits down with Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, the policy organization working on immigration and criminal justice reform. Todd explains what he calls the "de-legalizing" of immigrants: the unprecedented revocation of DACA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and other protections that could leave an estimated 3.5 million previously lawful residents without status by 2028. Todd also lays out what advocates should demand from 2028 presidential candidates on day one, the role of faith and community in the pushback, and how you can get involved. https://www.fwd.us/ https://www.fwd.us/news/losing-status-projections/ https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In February 2026, ICE's acting director told the U.S. Senate under oath there was "no reason" for immigration agents to be at polling places. Within months, armed agents made an arrest outside a San Antonio polling site, showed up at a voting location in Simi Valley, and confronted a poll worker in Syracuse, New York, in the middle of her shift. With a federal judge ordering documents about these incidents be released before Election Day, more than 8,000 pages are still scheduled to stay hidden until after the votes are counted. John Carlos Frey goes through the details. https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is ICE coming to the polls? Independent investigative journalist Justin Glawe joins host John Carlos Frey to connect two stories that are rapidly converging: America's deportation machine and the organized effort to undermine the 2026 midterm elections. Glawe, whose reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Esquire and more, has tracked election deniers who hold elected and appointed positions on county election boards in key swing districts. He lays out why he believes federal ballot seizures are the next move, how the unprecedented FBI raid on the Fulton County elections warehouse could serve as a template, and why the Justice Department's request to delay answering the DNC's ballot-seizure concerns until November 3rd set off alarm bells. Despite it all, Glawe explains why he remains hopeful, and why the most important thing voters can do is know their rights and show up. https://www.justinglawe.com/ https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:  The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Can armed agents be at your polling place? The city of Denver just did something no city has done before: it sued the Trump administration to keep armed ICE agents away from the polls. On Thursday, September 10, 2026, the City and County of Denver, along with LULAC, Common Cause, and Unidos US, filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C. against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and their leadership. The plaintiffs allege an unwritten "polling place policy" that could put armed agents at voting sites, drop boxes, and curbside voting locations during the midterm elections. DHS says no such policy exists. Whatever your view on immigration policy, one question sits at the center of this case: should an armed federal agent be anywhere near you when you cast your ballot? https://coloradosun.com/2026/09/10/denver-sues-to-keep-ice-away-from-voters/ https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Election Day is weeks away, and the officials who control armed federal law enforcement still won't say a simple word: no. Host John Carlos Frey breaks down the pattern building since February 2026 — FBI Director Kash Patel's refusal, under direct questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee, to commit that FBI agents will stay away from polling places; DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's “specific threat” exception for ICE deployment at voting sites; a bipartisan warning letter from a dozen senators that went effectively unanswered; and the one clean, written denial in this entire story — from Gen. Dan Caine — that came with a glaring asterisk. This is a sourced, fact-checked breakdown of what's been said on the record, what hasn't, and what that silence means. https://stateline.org/2026/09/10/repub/suit-challenges-trump-administration-move-to-allow-some-ice-presence-at-polling-places/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-patel-testifies-on-fbi-oversight-before-senate-panel-amid-troubled-tenure https://minnlawyer.com/2026/09/14/lawsuit-ice-agents-polling-places-election-voting/ https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:  The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host John Carlos Frey sits down with immigration attorney and author Robert Coughlon Jr. to discuss his new book, Fixing Immigration in America: A Commonsense Plan for Immigration Reform. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in family-based immigration and deportation defense — and a personal history that includes his father's career as a Border Patrol agent, INS adjudicator, immigration attorney, and eventually immigration judge — Coughlon lays out a middle-ground approach to one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFM1T65P?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:  The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the summer of 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services quietly published a federal procurement notice most Americans never saw. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is asking contractors to design, build, and run an "emergency intake facility" — a campus capable of holding up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children at a single site. In this episode of The Raid, host John Carlos Frey investigates the government's case for a mega-facility — surge capacity, efficiency, and faster case processing — and weighs it against the history of similar facilities in Homestead, Florida and Tornillo, Texas, which held thousands of children before closing under legal and political pressure. The Raid lays out the facts the government disputes. https://samsearch.co/gov-explore/federal/emergency-intake-facility-and-wrap-around-services-for-unaccompanied-alien-child/f54069e482d5 https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/all/operational-challenges-within-orr-and-the-orr-emergency-intake-site-at-fort-bliss-hindered-case-management-for-children https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:  The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

George Pappas spent twenty years as an immigration attorney before becoming an immigration judge in 2023. Two years later, he was fired by email — three sentences, no explanation, the same day as a dozen colleagues around the country. Pappas has advocated for all immigration judges to quit since they are working within a corrupt and broken system. In this episode, we break down Pappas's account, the data behind the wave of judicial firings and resignations, why immigration courts sit inside the Department of Justice rather than the independent judiciary, and the argument for — and against — mass resignation as a form of protest. https://theraidpodcast.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

They want you exhausted. That's the strategy. Journalist Memo Torres returns to The Raid to talk about ICE burnout — and why staying engaged might be the most radical thing you can do right now. After more than a year of escalating ICE raids, record detentions, and rising deaths in custody, host John Carlos Frey asks the hard question — how do we stay engaged when the trauma never stops? Torres opens up about the toll of covering immigration enforcement every day, the friends and rapid-response volunteers who've had to step back, and why he believes disengagement is actually part of the administration's strategy. The conversation moves from burnout and mental health to the bigger picture: the upcoming midterm elections, the erosion of democratic institutions, historical patterns of authoritarian regimes, and what ordinary people can do in the next 60 days to stay in the fight. https://lataco.com/author/memo https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer:  The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Before you press play, host John Carlos Frey wants you to know what this episode is. More than a year ago, a source he's worked with for close to 15 years — someone who has never once given him bad information — told him a specific set of things was coming. All five have now happened. But there's a sixth thing the source described — a plan to engineer chaos or violence at the polls this November and pin it on the political left, potentially opening the door to the Insurrection Act, ICE deployments at polling places, or seized ballots. That part, Frey is clear, he cannot verify. One source. No document. No second confirmation, despite a year of trying. “I need to say this as plainly as I possibly can: I cannot verify that claim. I have no second source for it, no document,” Frey says early in the episode, before asking listeners to decide for themselves whether to keep listening. He spends the rest of the episode explaining why, after a year of trying to corroborate it, he decided to report it anyway — and what he wants you watching for between now and November. If you work in an election office, at CISA, DHS, or DOJ and have documents — not a feeling, not a hunch — Frey wants to hear from you. He's protected sources for 20 years. https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Veteran journalist Charles Fleming returns to The Raid to tell the story of Maritza, an asylum seeker from Guatemala who survived decades of abuse before finding refuge in the United States. Host John Carlos Frey and Fleming trace Maritza's six-year journey through the U.S. asylum system: her legal border crossing to request protection, the landmark policy that first recognized domestic-violence survivors from Central America as a protected class, and the grueling process of proving her trauma to skeptical judges. Along the way, they confront the myths surrounding asylum seekers — that they're "freeloaders" gaming the system — and lay out what's actually true. The conversation closes with a sobering update: under the current administration, officials have stated the asylum system is effectively closed, and asylum seekers today are being redirected to third countries rather than allowed to stay in the U.S. Frey and Fleming ask what a nation loses — economically and spiritually — when it turns away people like Maritza. https://substack.com/@charlesuncounted https://theraidpodcast.org/ Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates").  The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.