New episodes of “In the Room with Peter Bergen” explore the pipeline of migrants from Venezuela to Chicago.
Why it matters: Migration is currently the No. 1 voter issue, and this podcast makes it easy to get up to speed on the origins and implications of the city’s current migrant crisis.
Zoom in: Bergen spoke with Venezuelan migrants, policy experts, city officials and local volunteers to gain their insights.
I gave it a listen. Here’s what I learned:
- U.S. sanctions aimed at weakening Venezuela’s leftist Maduro government have instead damaged the economy enough to drive more emigration, while allowing Maduro to blame the U.S. for his country’s woes.
- Several migrants cited Venezuela’s high food prices, corrupt police, gangs and crime as reasons to leave.
- Some tell Bergen they heard Chicago is affordable and full of opportunities, while New York is a bad place for families and D.C. is too expensive. One migrant named Julio expressed surprise to see homeless Chicagoans.
- U.S. infrastructure for processing asylum claims is not equipped to handle the recent spike in cases, per former Obama adviser Cecila Muñoz. Asylum cases typically take 5-7 years because of a paucity of asylum judges and officers.
- Fewer than half of asylum applications are successful. To secure asylum, applicants must prove a credible fear of persecution in their country of origin if they return.
- Many locals donate goods to Chicago migrant shelters, but volunteers say some items — including hair extensions, a broken blender and a cat — have been less than helpful.
- While Chicago officials feel overwhelmed by migrant arrivals, city officials in St. Louis and Pittsburgh say they want to attract them.
You can listen to the podcasts here.
