Tag Archives: immigration

In last week’s episode, we introduced Johdy Polk, who spoke to us about her time behind the prison walls, and urged audiences to see the other ways that people are confined by society.  Now, we continue to hear more of Johdy’s story- about the relationships she built while on the inside, her transition to daily life after her release, and …

Last week, Aren Aizura guided us through the history of colonialism in Australia, including racist measures to control non-white immigration, and later, in the 1980s, the implementation of mandatory detention for refugees. He focused on his experiences in an occupation outside the remote Woomera Detention Center, and the way that supporters on the outside grew in numbers, intensifying pressure on …

In light of the ongoing struggles across the country against deportations, family separations, and ICE detention centers, we are sharing an interview we did last year about struggles in Australia against refugee prison camps. In 2002, imprisoned refugees inside Australia’s remote Woomera immigration prison coordinated protests with 2500 supporters who had pitched a No Borders camp outside the facility. This …

For this episode, we are returning to the conditions in immigrant detention centers. Alejandra spoke at the Fight Toxic Prisons conference in Pittsburgh, which was held earlier this month. Growing up in California, she was the only child in her family to be undocumented. As an adult in Arizona, she had a minor arrest that led to her incarceration in …

Nation-wide protests are scheduled for Saturday, over the detention of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. In Bloomington, protesters will gather at 10:30 a.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse. Immigration advocate Gracia Valliant is scheduled to speak about the detentions. Valliant said, while the detention policy is not new, the sheer number of detentions are unprecedented.

The Bloomington City Council approved a guiding document for the city’s armored vehicle last night; Kirkwood Ave. will be closed on the south side of the courthouse next Tuesday, SCOTUS ruled against labor unions yesterday in a decision that will effect the countries unions for years to come, Indiana is still waiting to receive $7.6 million in funding from the …

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb declared last week Immigrant Heritage Week at a press conference, today. In a press release sent out today, Governor Holcomb declared last week as Immigrant Heritage Week. The retrospective declaration of a week dedicated to immigrants rights comes after pressure from Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance and the American Friends Service Committee. Governor Holcomb’s signed proclamation states …

This week, we will focus on a specific story about an immigrant detention case in Pittsburgh- and hear firsthand from family impacted by these harsh repercussions for undocumented immigrants. Martin Esquivel-Hernandez was detained after a traffic stop, held by ICE, and eventually deported, leaving his family behind in Pennsylvania. Today, we will hear his story through the eyes of his …

Indiana will be seeing a one-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, starting on July 1; Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb met with Vice President Pence in Washington D.C., yesterday;  Bloomington’s Second Street overpass will be opened to four lanes of traffic this weekend, for the Monroe County Fair; The Bloomington City Council is poised to pass legislation limiting the use of recently purchased …

Yesterday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, directing immigration agencies to actively work to keep would-be immigrant families together. The order comes amid public backlash over a decision by Attorney General Jeff Session’s in April, ordering a “Zero-Tolerance” approach to immigration. Public outrage reached a peak this week, when images and audio of children in holding cells was released …