Sidebar: Border wars

In this episode of Sidebar, we examine the human, ecological and political toll of the current and former administration's approaches to the U.S.-Mexico border.

While physical barriers and infrastructure have entered into our collective imagery of today's border, nothing has a more tangible impact than policy. The Trump administration implemented the Remain in Mexico program in January 2019, forcing asylum-seeking migrants to wait in Mexico for their day in U.S. court. That policy remains in effect to this day, further complicating the Biden administration's goal of enacting lasting change to the immigration system as migrants arrive at the border searching for refuge.

Efforts to build a border wall didn't begin or end with President Trump, though, and it hasn't stopped affecting the conservationists that live and work in the region advocating for native habitats and species. The National Butterfly Center of Mission, Texas, has found itself in the middle of a fight between the federal government and Trump supporters over the wall.

Special guests:

Sidebar tackles the top stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Bianca Bruno, Amanda Pampuro and Nina Pullano as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down developments to help you understand how they affect your day-to-day life.

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Music by The Dead Pens, Whitesand, LuKremBo and La soñadora. A transcript of this episode is available.

Editorial staff is Bill Dotinga, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross. Big thanks to Cody Copeland and Cameron Langford.

For more from Bianca, Cody and Cameron on the border:

-- One way out: How the perilous quest for asylum becomes a migrant’s ‘safest option’

-- ‘Calm before the storm’: Remain in Mexico 2.0 on track to repeat failings of first

-- Texas border crackdown denounced by Democratic lawmakers

-- Butterfly caretakers wage two-front war against border wall

-- Biden and the future of Trump's border wall

Follow Sidebar and Courthouse News on Twitter.