882: Give a Little Whistle

About this episode

Two lawyers reveal the inner workings and issues within the immigration system.

Two lawyers who work for ICE step forward and lift the curtain on what is really happening inside our immigration system right now. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Two lawyers dive into the details of what they’ve witnessed behind the scenes in different parts of the immigration system. (2 minutes) Act One: Former ICE attorney Ryan Schwank explains the chaos and dysfunction he observed at an ICE training academy, which led him to whistleblow to Congress two weeks ago. (12 minutes) Act Two: A federal judge orders the government to immediately release a bunch of people from detention. Days pass, and the government doesn’t comply. So the judge calls a hearing to figure out what’s going on. The lawyer's response is not what he or anybody expected. (25 minutes) Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices.

People in this episode

Host: This American Life

Guest: Ryan Schwank

Topics covered

• immigration
• law
• whistleblowing
• judicial system
• detention

Keywords

• immigration system
• ICE
• whistleblower
• detention
• federal judge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ICE, Congress

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