ICE, White Nationalism, and Who Gets to Be American

About this episode

This episode discusses the intersection of immigration enforcement, white nationalism, and the criminal legal system's impact on Black and Brown communities in America.

When immigration, policing, and white supremacy collide, whole communities pay the price. This episode of Badly Governed breaks down how ICE raids, white nationalism, and the U.S. criminal legal system work together to target Black and Brown people under the banner of “public safety” and “border security.” We look directly at who gets labeled a criminal, who is treated as worthy of protection, and how state violence is justified through racialized fear. Our guest, Amy “Amy Mac” McDonald—content creator and host of the Foolish Optimist podcast- joins us to talk about the real‑life impact of immigration enforcement: unannounced raids, families living in constant fear, and neighborhoods reshaped by detention and deportation. Together, we examine how white privilege structures every step of this process and why dismantling that power is essential for any honest conversation about ICE, mass incarceration, and who truly gets to belong in America. Resources: Triolo, T. (2025). The empathy gap: It is Black and White . Self-published. Support the podcast: Donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted .. . Buy something: https://lahensnet.creator-spring.com/ References: Pillai, A…

People in this episode

Host: Lydje Lahens

Guest: Amy “Amy Mac” McDonald

Topics covered

• immigration
• white nationalism
• policing
• racial justice
• state violence
• public safety

Keywords

• ICE
• white supremacy
• mass incarceration
• detention
• deportation
• racialized fear
• public safety

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Foolish Optimist, KFF

Books & works: The empathy gap: It is Black and White