Every unaccompanied immigrant child facing deportation is legally entitled to a lawyer — it's the law, not a favor. But the federal contract funding that representation for over 20,000 children expires this month, and instead of an open replacement process, reporting from the Texas Tribune reveals a series of phone calls: the Trump administration quietly asking Texas's Attorney General's office, then the ten-person Texas Indigent Defense Commission, to take on the job — an agency with no experience, no funding, and no legal authority to do it.

John Carlos Frey breaks down the facts.

https://theraidpodcast.org/

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/03/trump-texas-doj-indigent-defense-unaccompanied-immigrant-children/

https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2026-07-06/trump-administration-asks-texas-for-help-providing-legal-services-to-immigrant-kids-facing-deportation

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/trump-administration-asks-texas-for-help-providing-legal-services-to-immigrant-kids-facing-deportation/

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John Carlos Frey talks with Nicole Locklin — a Miami attorney and first-time candidate now running as the Democratic nominee for Florida's 26th Congressional District against 24-year incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart.

Locklin explains what pushed her into the race. She explains the district's dramatic post-redistricting shift, the role of ICE and Stephen Miller in the current wave of immigration raids, the financial toll of the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility, and her platform centered on affordability, government accountability, and abolishing ICE.

The conversation closes with a frank look at her odds in a historically red-leaning, minority-majority district and how her campaign plans to combine political organizing with direct community aid.

https://locklinforcongress.com/

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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John Carlos Frey sits down with Flor Melendrez to talk about the wave of ICE raids that swept through Los Angeles car washes over the past year. Melendez shares her personal path into labor organizing — growing up the child of garment worker parents, negotiating wages for them as a child, and later working with day laborers before helping build the clean car wash campaign into what is now the Clean Car Wash Worker Center where she is the Executive Director.

The two also discuss the racial and political dimensions of the raids — why car washes, garment factories, and Home Depot parking lots were targeted, and whether the operations reflect broader anti-immigrant sentiment tied to the upcoming election. Melendrez closes with reflections on more raids yet to come, community resilience, the networks that have formed in response to the raids and how people can support the organization's work.

https://www.cleancarwash.org/

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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ICE has been targeting labor leaders and organizers along with thousands of workers who are now more afraid than ever to fight for better working conditions.

In this podcast, investigative journalist John Carlos Frey traces how that pattern has grown from a single farm in Albion, New York into a nationwide crisis in 2026 — one that is reshaping labor markets, collapsing organizing campaigns, and keeping some of the most vulnerable workers in America in a state of permanent fear.

https://portside.org/2025-05-11/they-actually-had-list-ice-arrests-workers-involved-landmark-labor-rights-case

https://documentedny.com/2025/08/27/lyn-ette-farms-ice-detention/

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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What if ICE raids aren't just about immigration enforcement — what if they're part of something much bigger?

In this episode, host John Carlos Frey sits down with journalist and activist Lee Stedman, whose on-the-ground reporting during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis revealed a pattern that goes far beyond deportation.

From the criminalization of rapid response networks to the rise of a coordinated interagency task force, Stedman connects the dots between surveillance technology, propaganda, and what he sees as a deliberate effort to consolidate power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

https://www.instagram.com/ghost_lee19/?hl=en

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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On August 28, 2025, three immigrant rights activists followed an unmarked ICE vehicle through Los Angeles and livestreamed what they saw — exactly what rapid responders across Southern California had been doing for months. That afternoon ended with federal charges.

Cynthia Raygoza, Ashleigh Brown, and Sandra Samane became known as the Baldwin Park Three. Their case didn't just put three women on trial, it put the First Amendment on trial — asking whether the right to document the government ends the moment a federal agent pulls into a residential street. John Carlos Frey investigates the prosecution, the politics, and the precedent.

@ice_out_ofla

gofund.me/19efb412f

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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The U.S. government wired $70 million to purchase a massive warehouse to house detained immigrants in Surprise, Arizona — without telling the mayor, the city council, or a single one of the 80,000 people who lived there. No announcement. No environmental review. No community input. Just a done deal.

In this episode of The Raid, investigative journalist John Carlos Frey unpacks how the secret purchase unfolded, who pushed back — and what happened when residents realized their own city council wasn't going to fight for them.

This is the story of Surprise, Arizona. And it could be the story of your town next.

https://theraidpodcast.org/

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-buys-warehouses-immigration-detention/

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/dhs-reveals-surprise-warehouse-turned-ice-detention-facility-part-38b-plan

https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/041826_surprise_ice_warehouse/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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Host John Carlos Frey sits down with Lilian Serrano, Director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, for a powerful conversation about what's really happening along the U.S.-Mexico border — and what it means for the entire country.

Lillian grew up between Tijuana and San Diego across four generations, and has spent over a decade fighting for human rights and accountability in border enforcement. In this episode, she exposes how racial profiling, Constitutional violations, and unchecked use of force — long normalized in border communities — are now spreading to cities across America.

They discuss the staggering $240 billion in federal funding handed to ICE and Border Patrol with little to no oversight, the gutting of DHS civil rights offices, the militarization of public lands along the border, and what communities can do to fight back. This is not an episode you can afford to tune out.

https://www.southernborder.org/

https://theraidpodcast.org/

Disclaimer:

The statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants on this program are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of the distributor of the program and any person or entity affiliated with said distributor ("distributor's affiliates"). The distributor and distributor's affiliates are not responsible for, and shall not be liable for, the statements and opinions expressed by the host or participants, or for any content that appears on the program.

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