The Border Chronicle

Jan 09 2025 65 ep. 44 mins 28
The Border Chronicle Podcast artwork

The Border Chronicle podcast is hosted by Melissa del Bosque and Todd Miller. Based in Tucson, Arizona, longtime journalists Melissa and Todd speak with fascinating fronterizos, community leaders, migrants, activists, artists and more at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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What’s Gonna Happen on the Border in 2025? A Podcast with Erika Pinheiro

Jan 09 2025 52 mins  
If you want to know about what’s to come on the border—what to expect, how it got to this point, and ways to fight back—put everything down right now and give this a listen. Well, here we are at the beginning of 2025, and it’s time to continue preparing ourselves for what’s to come (I hope you all saw Melissa’s Tuesday report on the Border Chronicle Forecast for 2025).

Reporter's Notebook: Melissa Talks About a New Binational Investigation on Border Militarization and Drownings in the Rio Grande

Dec 10 2024 29 mins  
On Sunday, The Washington Post, El Universal in Mexico, and Lighthouse Reports published “Death and Deterrence in the Rio Grande,” a yearlong investigation on drowning deaths of asylum seekers. As the U.S.-Mexico investigations editor for Lighthouse Reports, I helped collect the data, did reporting, and coordinated the binational investigation. We wanted to examine how border m

Border Chronicle Postelection Podcast

Nov 26 2024 55 mins  
In an episode that you’ve surely been waiting for, Melissa and Todd discuss what Trump’s election might mean for the border. This includes addressing the question, What is a “border czar”? The Donald Trump campaign seemed to know, spending the last several months claiming (falsely) that Kamala Harris had held this somewhat imaginary position under Joe Biden. And, then, afte

No Borders as a Practical Political Project: A Podcast with Nandita Sharma

Nov 21 2024 46 mins  
As the late Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano put it in his book Upside Down: A Primer for a Looking Glass World, the terminology used in mainstream political discourse often describes precisely the opposite of reality. Cut-throat capitalism is free trade. Violence is law and order. Extraction of natural wealth from communities is increasing revenue. So where does “border security

A Special Border Chronicle Election Podcast

Oct 29 2024 47 mins  
It’s democracy vs. fascism in the most consequential election of our lifetime. We talk about its implications for border communities. Also, Todd talks about his latest reporting from Mexico, where migrants are continually being sent back to the country’s southern border, creating a cycle of futility and suffering. Melissa recalls reporting on Trump’s Operation Faithful Patrio

A Live Podcast from Nogales with Educators Celia Concannon and Gustavo Lozano

Oct 08 2024 97 mins  
On September 7, we had the honor of leading a discussion with Celia Concannon and Gustavo Lozano, two longtime residents and educators from ambos Nogales, who have spent years teaching music and theater in local schools. We then had a Q&A with audience members, which you’ll hear at the end. The event was held downtown in Nogales, Arizona, on Morley Avenue, at the beautiful Wi

The Expanding Immigrant Detention Nexus: A Podcast with Jesse Franzblau

Oct 03 2024 49 mins  
Immigrant detention has doubled during Biden, which now wants to expand it more. But not if rights groups can help it, explains the senior policy analyst for the National Immigrant Justice Center. Since Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, there have been alarming trends in detentions and deportations undertaken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the

The Highest Law in the Land: Journalist Jessica Pishko on Right-wing Sheriffs and Democracy

Sep 24 2024 44 mins  
For several years, author and journalist Jessica Pishko has investigated the power of right-wing sheriffs and their impact on democracy, elections, and border and immigration policy. Her new book, out this month, The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy, is a must-read, especially during our most consequential presidential election in gen

From Green Beret to Border Human Rights Activist: A Podcast with Mike Wilson and José Antonio Lucero

Sep 05 2024 57 mins  
Tohono O’odham Mike Wilson’s story gives us a compelling, personal, and geopolitical glimpse into the borderlands across a history of militarization, resistance, and transformation. How does one go from a U.S. Special Forces Green Beret in El Salvador to doing humanitarian aid work on the border? This is where Tohono O’odham Mike Wilson begins this podcast conversation, with

Beyond 'El Mayo' and Drug Cartels: A Podcast with Journalist Luis Chaparro

Aug 28 2024 57 mins  
Luis Chaparro is a longtime border journalist from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He specializes in reporting on criminal organizations, corruption, and binational affairs. He’s written for many publications in Mexico and the United States. And he’s one of the only journalists in the borderlands who consistently reports on and analyzes organized crime in Mexico. In July, I immediately