The 1965 Law That Started America's Immigration Crisis

Lora Ries says Biden's HHS lost track of 400,000 migrant children, and Congress still hasn't acted. In this interview, she walks through how America got here — a 1965 law that launched chain migration, an asylum system she calls "easy to defraud," a trafficking program that went from an estimated 600,000–800,000 victims to 27 million worldwide with only 5,000 convictions — and the specific bills she says Congress could pass right now. Her warning to Republicans heading into the midterms: "Inaction is going to keep people home. SPONSOR: Human Coalition For $26, you can create a life-saving moment for a mother and her baby. Human Coalition reaches women before the abortion industry does, with free ultrasounds, real resources, and a Continuum of Care that stays with her until she is stable. They have already helped more than 36,000 women choose life, and through December 31 a $100,000 matching gift doubles every dollar you give. Leave a legacy of life. Give today at https://HumanCoalition.org/Nick There are big things happening at Blaze, and we'd love for you to join us. You can join now at https://Get.BlazeTV.com/Nick and use promo code “NICK” to get $20 off! ----- GET YOUR MERCH HERE: https://shop.nickjfreitas.com/ BECOME A MEMBER OF THE IC: https://NickJFreitas.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickjfreitas/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickFreitasVA Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickJFreitas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nickjfreitas TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfreitas3.0 00:00 – 30 years in immigration policy, and how Hart-Celler launched chain migration 07:35 – The 1990 act that turned asylum and TPS into "runaway" programs 16:31 – For decades we "looked the other way" at the "small" immigration violations 21:48 – Illegal immigrants came to Nick's office to lobby for driver's licenses 22:55 – Biden's day one: Remain in Mexico scrapped and catch and release back 28:41 – "Another industrial complex": hundreds of billions flowing to immigration NGOs 34:00 – Trafficking victims went from 800,000 to 27 million, with 5,000 convictions 39:36 – Biden's HHS lost track of 400,000 of 550,000 unaccompanied children 42:58 – What Congress could pass now, starting with no asylum between ports of entry 50:04 – The Clintons, Obama and Schumer once said illegal immigration had to be stopped 55:03 – "At least 20 million" deportable aliens and a million deportations this year 1:00:53 – Only U.S. citizens should count for congressional seats and electoral votes This is Episode 588 of Making the Argument, published September 28, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices