The Push and Pull of Immigration

Left and the Law commentator Mike Snedecker interviews Jim Smith, an immigration lawyer who lives and practices at the border. Using the example of Honduras, they discuss the “push” factors (poverty, violence and political repression) that impel immigrants to leave their homes. Push factors are largely ignored by the U.S. press and policy makers, who are more intent on intervening with so-called “pull” factors, like better economic opportunities in the U.S.

For more background on the U.S. role in the 2017 coup in Honduras, see Jake Johnston’s August 2017 article in the Intercept.

Photo by: Chris Maddaloni / Roll Call Photos Inc. / Newscom / Universal Images Group