In this episode, I chat with immigrant rights attorney Jessica Zweng about what often goes unspoken: the U.S. immigration system is not broken. It is functioning as it was designed.
Jessica walks me through how racial hierarchies have been embedded in immigration law from the very beginning. These structures continue to shape who is welcomed, who is excluded, and who is criminalized. She challenges the idea of “legal pathways,” describing them as narrow and often inaccessible routes that reinforce inequality rather than resolve it.
We also explore the machinery of enforcement. Our conversation covers racial profiling, the overlap between criminal and immigration law, and a detention system influenced not only by policy but by profit. Jessica explains that mandatory detention sits at the center of this system, which is why it is a key focus for those calling to abolish ICE.
Jessica ultimately calls for more than reform. She invites us to imagine and build a system rooted in dignity, care, and collective humanity.
As she says, “We must build a world rooted in life and love.”
