Why Is A Nation Built by Immigrants Still So Afraid of Immigrants?

Thank you to everyone who helped bring this episode together. As of the episode’s release on January 20, 2026, Danny Quach remains detained in a facility in Houston, Texas. After four months, his family and advocates have received little to no information about his status or any timeline for release or deportation to Vietnam. 

Guest Information 
Al Nodarse, Friend of Danny
Mary Quach, Wife of Danny
Go Fund Me to Support Danny and His Family: https://gofund.me/993e46405

Recording and Production
Original Music: Rainezra @rainezra and Vews @pointofvews
Audio Editing by: Kye Gilmer @residual_audio 

Learn More/Sources
The following materials were referenced or informed this episode. Links are provided for transparency and further reading.

KATU
News story about Danny
https://katu.com/news/local/lake-oswego-rallies-for-detained-man-facing-deportation-to-vietnam-danny-quach-al-nodarse-vietnam-immigrant-baker-bakery-freedom-for-4-danny-happy-sparrow-lake-oswego-bakery-business-owner-immigration-ice-detention

Reuters
Four migrants die in US immigration custody over first 10 days of 2026
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/four-migrants-die-us-ice-custody-over-first-10-days-2026-2026-01-12/

Reuters
Fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis sparks national protests
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fatal-ice-shooting-minneapolis-activist-sets-stage-national-protests-2026-01-10/

The Guardian
US immigration agents shot at people 16 times under Trump’s crackdown
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/07/trump-immigration-ice-shootings

The Guardian
Will ICE agent face consequences for Renee Nicole Good’s killing
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/will-ice-agent-face-consequences-renee-nicole-good

The Guardian
2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/04/ice-2025-deaths-timeline

Washington Post
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/01/15/ice-detention-death-homicide/

American Immigration Council
Immigration Detention Expansion in Trump’s Second Term
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/immigration-detention-report.pdf

ACLU / Physicians for Human Rights
Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigration Detention
https://www.aclu.org/publications/deadly-failures-preventable-deaths-in-us-immigrant-detention

Project On Government Oversight
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025
https://www.pogo.org/investigates/ice-inspections-plummeted-as-detentions-soared-in-2025

PBS NewsHour
A dozen undocumented workers were fired from a Trump golf course
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-dozen-undocumented-workers-were-fired-from-a-trump-golf-course-what-happens-now

The Week
A pipeline of undocumented immigrants reportedly helped build and maintain Trump’s New Jersey golf club
https://theweek.com/speedreads/822758/pipeline-undocumented-immigrants-reportedly-helped-build-maintain-trumps-new-jersey-golf-club

The Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Passenger Search Website
https://www.statueofliberty.org/discover/passenger-ship-search/

U.S. Code, Asylum (8 U.S.C. § 1158). Legal text defining asylum eligibility and procedure
 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1158

American Immigration Council, Asylum in the United States. Overview of the Refugee Act of 1980
 https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/asylum-united-states/

USCIS, Refugees and Asylum. Official explanation of the process and legal context
 https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum

Office of Refugee Resettlement, The Refugee Act of 1980. Policy guidance
 https://acf.gov/orr/policy-guidance/refugee-act

National Constitution Center, Wong Kim Ark decision and Fourteenth Amendment context
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-look-back-at-the-wong-kim-ark-decision

Oyez, United States v. Wong Kim Ark. Case summary
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/169us649

NAPABA, Wong Kim Ark upheld birthright citizenship
https://www.napaba.org/page/wong_kim_ark

Organization of American Historians, Historical overview of birthright citizenship and exclusion politics
https://www.oah.org/tah/asian-american-and-pacific-islander-history/from-wong-kim-ark-to-the-japanese-american-incarceration-asian-americans-and-the-racial-limits-of-birthright-citizenship/

U.S. National Archives, Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Government background and documentary materials
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation

Supreme Court History, Wong Kim Ark context including Ex parte Endo and incarceration references
https://civics.supremecourthistory.org/article/united-states-v-wong-kim-ark/

USCIS, Immigration and Nationality Act overview. Foundational post-1952 immigration law
https://www.uscis.gov/laws-and-policy/legislation/immigration-and-nationality-act

Support the show
All American Why is independently produced and listener supported.
If you value conversations that center nuance, critical thinking, and honest inquiry, you can support the show here:
https://www.allamericanwhypodcast.com/support

Another great way to support the podcast is by sharing this episode, leaving a review, or sending it to the Excessive Thinkers in your life who love asking “why” and thinking deeply.