The Rational Middle
In these divided times, a number of important challenges are facing our nation. One of the largest is immigration reform. Histrionics have ruled the day and started a firestorm of debate on the issue. Rational Middle is working to change that by providing a holistic view through conversations with thought leaders, legislators, business owners, and citizens which can help us find common ground in the larger debate surrounding comprehensive reform.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 26 minutes
- Episodes
- 179
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2023
How Immigration Affects the Soul of America (and its GDP) with Justin Gest
On this week's episode is Justin Gest, author and Associate Professor of Policy and Government, George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. Justin and a team of demographers and …
Announcing The Rational Middle Immigration Summit for Solutions
Join three hosts from The Rational Middle — Chris Lyon, Gregory Kallenberg, and Loren Steffy — as they announce an event aimed at finding actionable solutions to the challenges of border security and…
Shifting Perspective on Immigration Reform with Joy Olson
Joy Olson, the former Executive Director of The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) talks with host Loren Steffy about the current challenges at the border and how the public perception on the …
Children at Risk at the Border with Dr. Bob Sanborn and Yael Ross
Dr. Bob Sanborn and Yael Ross return to The Rational Middle podcast to discuss the seasonal influx of unaccompanied minors coming across the U.S.-Mexico border and how the dismantling of the system b…
Justice for Farmworkers and Immigrants with Bruce Goldstein
Join us for a conversation with Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice. He is an attorney with 40 years of experience practicing labor and civil rights law. We discuss agriculture, global m…
Highlighting the Players in Immigration Reform with Rick Taft
Host Loren Steffy interviews Rick Taft, the founder and president of Ideaspace Project, a website aimed at helping those interested in immigration reform track the most prominent voices and exploring…
Tracking Trump's Immigration Policies with Lucas Guttentag
Lucas Guttentag — a professor of the practice of law at Stanford law school, senior research scholar at Yale Law school, distinguished immigration litigator, and former Obama administration official …
Author Ernesto Cisneros on His Book "Efrén Divided"
This week, newly-minted Rational Middle host Melissa Brannan chats with award-winning author Ernesto Cisneros about his book Efrén Divided, the story of a Mexican-American boy whose mother is deporte…
Immigration Reform Now at Bat in Congress
Hosts Chris Lyon, Gregory Kallenberg, and Loren Steffy talk about next steps on immigration. Will Congress take a piecemeal approach or swing for the fences on comprehensive reform now that the Ameri…
The Status of Asylum in America with Dree Collopy
Dree Collopy, partner of Benach Collopy LLP and author of the American Immigration Lawyers Association's (AILA) Asylum Primer, gives us an update on where asylum stands in the United States as Biden …
"I'm Out" Texas Republican Jacob Monty Leaves the Party
Jacob Monty, Trump 2016 campaign advisor and Managing Partner of the labor and employment law firm Monty & Ramirez LLP, has left the Republican party as it departs from the big tent strategy and beco…
Reaching Consensus on Immigration with Laura Collins
Laura Collins, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative shares her insights on the current status of immigration reform in Congress and with the American people. She explores why…
How Immigration Will Impact Houston's Economy with Steven Scarborough
Steven Scarborough, Strategic Initiatives Manager at the Center for Houston's Future, shares an update to the Center's report on how immigration will shape the region's impact over the next several d…
Three New Immigration Executive Orders with Tony Payan
Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, weighs in on Biden's latest round of executive orders which seek to as…
Post-Inauguration Special
Join hosts Chris Lyon, Gregory Kallenberg, and Loren Steffy for a round table discussion of everything from the Biden/Harris inauguration, executive orders, and the administration's comprehensive imm…
Hope for the Undocumented in 2021 with Sanaa Abrar
This week, we speak with Sanaa Abrar, Advocacy Director for United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led network in the United States. She discusses the hopes that many immigrants in America have…
The New Year Brings a New Fight for Immigration with Jorge Lima
We kick off 2021 with a renewed discussion about Congress, common sense, and the issues that divide us. With the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden just one week away, Jorge Lima of Americans …
Goodbye 2020: A Year-End Rational Middle Roundup
Join hosts Gregory Kallenberg, Chris Lyon, and Loren Steffy for a recap of the year with The Rational Middle, the state of division in the United States, the election, the pandemic, and where we're g…
The State of the Republican and Democratic Parties with Scott Braddock
Now that the electoral college has voted, we talk with political analyst Scott Braddock about what can both parties learn from their experiences from the 2020 election, and how can those lessons be l…
The Latino Vote and a Path to Bipartisanship on Immigration with Linda Chavez
Linda Chavez, senior fellow at the National Immigration Forum and author of "Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation" discusses the continued shift of the Latino vote that s…