logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2020
27m 37s

Red State refugees

Bbc World Service
About this episode

President Trump has dramatically reduced the numbers of refugees arriving in the United States, vowing to protect native-born Americans’ interests. But there’s a catch - some of the nation’s reddest communities may not survive without them. Katy Long telsl the story of one small, poor, conservative town — Cactus, Texas — where hundreds of refugees have settled, drawn by the well-paid jobs in meatpacking, shifting the demographics of the community, shaping the refugees’ perspective and saving the town from disaster. Cactus is a town which would have died altogether, taking the meatpacking plant and the jobs there with it, had it not been for these refugees. And so this story begs the question: if you drastically reduce immigration and stop refugee resettlement – as the Governor of Texas has recently announce – what happens to these towns, to the meatpacking industry, and to the idea of beef-and-oil-Texas?

Up next
Today
Suing 'Alligator Alcatraz': Immigration in the US
President Trump has called illegal immigration an “invasion” and what's followed is a huge rise in the arrest and detention of migrants. Some have ended up in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ - an immigration detention centre that was speedily constructed in June, deep in the Florida swampla ... Show More
26m 47s
Yesterday
Adeju Thompson: Taking fashion label Lagos Space Programme to the world
Adeju Thompson, the founder and creative director behind the Nigerian fashion label Lagos Space Programme, attempts to establish the label on the global fashion scene. Lagos Space Programme blends Yoruba heritage (notably Adire dyeing) with queer and futurist aesthetics, taking i ... Show More
26m 29s
Aug 24
Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary presents, Hold Fast!
The incredible true story of how The Avontuur was locked down at sea for 188 days during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 15 people on board. The journey begins for ship’s cook Giulia Baccosi when she accepts a last-minute job aboard the sailing cargo ship The Avontuur. She tells the ... Show More
24m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
Haiti’s Unforgivable Blackness
On September 19th, photographers captured a harrowing scene at the US Mexico border: Border Patrol agents, on horseback, chasing and intimidating a large group of Haitian migrants as they tried to cross into Texas.The images sparked outrage, and President Joe Biden eventually con ... Show More
23m 34s
Oct 2021
Are Hondurans the new climate refugees?
Increasingly, droughts, floods, and hurricanes are becoming a reason for people to leave their homes and even their countries. Last year, nearly half of the population in Honduras was affected by hurricanes. But the concept of climate refugees is not yet legally recognized by int ... Show More
18m 2s
Feb 2017
Ep. 87 Real talk about refugees
Pull up a chair, and we'll pour you some tea. A recent Executive Order from President Trump has the world talking about the United States and refugees. This week, Megan asked Kelly to help her sit down and sort through the news, identifying facts, gathering some expert opinions, ... Show More
1h 19m
Jun 2022
Refugee Week: an opportunity to experience and celebrate diversity of refugee communities - Hefteya Penaber: derfeteke ji bo ezmûn û pîrozkirina pirçandiya civakên penaberan e
Every year millions of people are forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. - Her sal bi mîlyonan kes ji bo lêge ... Show More
10m 22s
Mar 2021
What's Behind The Increase In Migrant Children At The Southern Border
Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children have shown up at the southern border in recent weeks, overwhelming the government's ability to process and transfer them into the custody of sponsors or family members. Melissa Lopez, director of Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services Inc, ... Show More
14m 55s
Jun 2021
The real-life superheroes helping Syrian refugees | Feras Fayyad
Society has a set of stories it tells itself about who refugees are and what they look like, says documentarian and TED Fellow Feras Fayyad. With his films, he's on a mission to separate the facts about refugees from fiction, as a form of resistance -- for himself, his daughter a ... Show More
6m 54s
Oct 2020
Kind World Presents: Port Of Entry
The perception that the U.S.-Mexico border’s been effectively sealed shut because of the pandemic is wrong. Lots of people are still crossing. Actually, the biggest, most dramatic change in who can’t cross right now; you’re not going to find those folks at the official ports of e ... Show More
25m 21s
Feb 2023
One Uprooted Life At A Time, Climate Change Drives An American Migration
Margaret Elysia Garcia tried hard to rebuild her life in Greenville, California after it was devastated by a wildfire in 2021. But the difficulty of life there — power outages, mud slides, razed streets she could barely recognize — eventually it all became too much. She left her ... Show More
11m 42s
May 2022
Heba Gowayed, "Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential" (Princeton UP, 2022)
As the world confronts the largest refugee crisis since World War II, wealthy countries are being called upon to open their doors to the displaced, with the assumption that this will restore their prospects for a bright future. Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential (Prince ... Show More
55m 50s