Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, more than 100 immigration judges have been fired in an unprecedented purge — with a similar number resigning or retiring. In their place, the administration has installed over 140 new judges, many with no immigration law experience and as little as three weeks of training. Investigative journalist John Carlos Frey examines who these new judges are, what they've been hired to do, and what it means for the millions of immigrants waiting for their day in court. From a divorce lawyer who fights exclusively for men, to a judge rebuked for deciding a gay man didn't look gay enough for asylum protection — this is the story of how America's immigration courts are being reshaped to serve one goal: deport one million people a year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/04/27/justice-department-immigration-judges-deportation/

https://newrepublic.com/post/209532/donald-trump-terrifying-new-immigration-judges-experience

https://theraidpodcast.org/

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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.

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Izzy Ramirez didn't start as a journalist. He started as someone who refused to look away.

When ICE raids swept through Los Angeles last summer, Izzy was on the streets — phone in hand, posting real-time alerts, telling people where federal agents were, which neighborhoods to avoid, where families were being torn apart. He wasn't working for a newsroom. He was working for his community. And people listened. LA Taco was listening too.

The Los Angeles-based independent publication — one of the most important outlets covering immigration enforcement in Southern California — recognized what Izzy already was: a reporter. They asked him to make it official. He said yes. And he hasn't stopped since. In just a few months as a staff reporter, Izzy has covered ICE operations, deaths in detention, political corruption, and the day-to-day reality of what he doesn't hesitate to call what it is — the kidnapping of people from their homes, their jobs, their families, across Southern California. He is twenty-something years old. He has no journalism school on his résumé. What he has is the trust of the people most at risk, the instincts of someone who learned by doing, and a publication behind him that understands why that matters.

This is what accountability journalism looks like when it comes from the inside.

https://lataco.com/author/izzy-ramirez

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.

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At just 18 years old, Cesar Vasquez is already a veteran organizer on California's Central Coast. As a Rapid Response Organizer for 805 Undocufund — a nonprofit providing emergency financial relief and real-time immigration enforcement alerts to undocumented residents across Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties — Cesar is on the front lines of one of the most vulnerable communities in the country: the largely undocumented farmworker population that feeds much of the nation. But his activism didn't start there. At 14, Cesar founded La Cultura Del Mundo, a youth-led organization built on a simple but radical premise — skip the red tape and ask families directly, "How much do you need?" No forms, no status checks, just rapid mobilization of cash, groceries, rent assistance, and whatever else a family needs to survive. Today, Cesar joins us to speak about the ongoing ICE raids devastating his region. According to 805 Undocufund, over 1,800 people have been taken since the raids began — a number that continues to grow.

https://www.805undocufund.org/

https://laculturadelmundo.org/es

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.