La Brega: A 1902 Deportation Case That Reverberates Today

La Brega: A 1902 Deportation Case That Reverberates Today

From Latino USA by My Cultura, Futuro and iHeartPodcasts

March 22, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Isabel González's 1902 Supreme Court case regarding her right to stay in the U.S. as an immigrant.

In 1902, Isabel González arrived in Ellis Island, pregnant, alone and with only $11.00 in her pocket. She —like others before her— was detained for being an "alien" and at risk of becoming a "burden" on the state. But Isabel took her fight to the courts, defending her right to stay in the country that had invaded her homeland just four years earlier. She fought all the way to the Supreme Court where she argued for citizenship. In this excerpt from Futuro Studios’ series “La Brega” we learn about her legacy, and about a more recent similar challenge.  Original episode art by Elizabeth Barreto. You can find her Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/cookingood/ Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on  TikTok  and  YouTube . Subscribe to our  newsletter .   See…

People in this episode

Host: Maria Hinojosa

Topics covered

  • society
  • culture
  • history
  • immigration
  • law

Keywords

  • Isabel González
  • Ellis Island
  • Supreme Court
  • citizenship
  • deportation
  • burden on the state
  • legacy
  • immigration challenge

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: La Brega:, La Brega, Pulitzer Prize

Places: Ellis Island, U.S.

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